Eden's Twilight
by Sassiersphinx81
Summary: Desmond has survived somehow up to this point. The world is oblivious to the danger that he released. Now, with the help of a few allies, and the woman he loves, he must find a way to get rid of Juno before she can enslave the human race once more. It's not only his life on the line now, but the life of everyone close to him as well. Sequel to Heaven Only Knows.
1. Chapter 1

**Welcome to the first chapter of Eden's Twilight. This the second installment of the Desmond/Isabella story. I hope you enjoy it, and please let me know what you think! I know I just finished Heaven Only Knows yesterday, but this chapter came out so easily. It was nice that it did. I want to thank everyone that read the first part. It was great to see the numerous reviews that everyone left. That was my main reason for continuing the story.**

Nearly a year had gone by since she had seen his face. Nearly year since she had heard the sound of his voice, and felt his touch. Now, just a few months after the birth of their son, Collin Ezio Miles, she found out the horrible secret that her brother had been hiding from her, and that was the father of her son, was still alive somewhere in the world. All she wanted to do was kill him slowly, and take pleasure in the fact that he knew why he was dying, but abandoning those malicious thoughts, all she did was give him the tongue lashing he deserved.

"Why didn't you tell me sooner?" Isabella Bellucci growled as she advanced on her brother, his green eyes wide in what she could only describe as fear for his life. "You know you're an ass."

Seth Bellucci held his hands in the air as his sister stalked towards him, and he was thankful she had no weapons on her or around her at that time. "Sis, we all thought it for the best. When it all came out on who fathered your son, we all thought it best to keep it from you and not get your hopes too high. I mean, he's been out there for a year."

Snatching him by the collar of his shirt, she drug him down to her level. "You had no right! None of you did! You should've told me when you found out." She was beyond mad. The malicious thoughts began to resurface, and it took everything she had in her not to turn his head around backwards, and end it right there.

But a hand grabbed her arm, pulling her back from her only living brother. Damien Bellucci, her father, held on to her, preventing her from tearing Seth to small pieces. "He was only doing what he thought was right, Izzy. You should understand that. Isn't that why you didn't tell us about your adventure into the past?"

She turned away from him. "It's not the same."

Her father chuckled. "Oh but it is, honey. You just don't see it. You didn't tell us because we would have labeled you insane…" And she added under her breath that they already thought her that. "And he hid this piece of information from you so that you wouldn't lose what we thought was left of your mind. And I am sorry to say, I knew shortly after he did."

That caused her to spin around, sending a glare in his direction. "Oh nice! You knew as well!" Throwing her arms in the air, she looked at her mother, Sarah, who was holding onto her only grandchild. "The next thing you're going to tell me is that you knew."

"Sugar, we only wanted you to get better, not worse. Your father told me after he found out, only to get my option on the whole situation. I was the one that told him not to say anything, and I threatened your brother with bodily harm if he so much as breathed a word of it to you." She took a step towards Isabella, keeping the child between them.

It was enough to make her want to abandon her whole family! "And to think, if I wasn't so damn gung ho to get back to all of y'all, none of this would have ever happened. I would be with the man I fell in love with, raising our son the way he should be raised, and my life would have been damn near perfect. But noooo, I had to come back to my family, lost my mind for a time, lose my son's father, and then get secrets kept from me because you thought I was going to lose my goddamn mind even more!"

The three of them looked at her, standing in the middle of the living room, shoulders heaving in anger. Seth was the first to speak. "Sis, I know it was rotten of us to keep it from you, and I'm really sorry, but we couldn't go at this half-cocked like I know you would have. Now, are you going to calm down, and help think of some places that they may have taken him?"

"And what makes you think I know anything?" She asked as she took her son from her mother. He was the only thing that kept her calm most days. "I was their captive, not their damn VIP guest. I don't have a clue as to where they would've taken him. If I did, I would be out there right now trying to find him."

Truth be told, she wasn't holding out high hopes of him coming back. If he had been their captive for almost a year, and hadn't found a way out yet, then how in the hell were they going to find him with the limited resources they had? It just didn't look promising, but somewhere in the back of her mind, she still held on to the slight almost miracle chance, that they would find him alive and he would come back to her. Be a father to his son. A son that he didn't even know he had at this point in time.

"Isabella, you have Collin to look out for now. Leave this up to us, and stay here with him. If there is a chance, we will find him. Hopefully in good health." Her father stopped in front of her, and touched the soft downy hair that graced the top of her son's head. "You have to calm down, and think with a rational mind."

She glared at him. "I thought I lost my mind when I came back, remember?" She sneered and began to walk towards the stairs that lead to her room. "If you need me, I'll be upstairs." And with that being said, she let her feet carry her up to the room that she now stayed in most of the time.

*/*/*/*/*/*/*

He heard the snow crunch under the thick boots he had procured on his exit of the facility. They were a half size too big and the coat that he pulled tighter around his body was too large as well. Night had descended on the white landscape, causing more shadows to appear and his mind to wander. It had been nearly a year since he had seen anyone he knew. A year since he had seen the real light of day, and the moon that hung in the sky. A year since he had seen her.

Did she think him dead? Had she moved on with her life? Was she still the woman that he had fallen in love with so many years ago? Questions upon questions ran through his head as he walked down the snow lined streets of Moscow. They thought that if they got him out of the country and away from everything that he once knew that he would not dare to run, but how wrong they were. He bolted the first chance he got. It took some work, and a trail of bodies in his wake, but for the first time since he woke up almost a year ago, he was free.

A bench came up on his right, and he took a moment to rest. It had been a long walk from where he was to where he had come from. Resting for a moment felt like heaven, and as he leaned his head back against the building behind him, he let his eyes drift closed for second. She was there to greet him when he did. Her smiling green eyes brought him comfort in the months that he plotted and schemed to be free. She was the only thing that got him through, and he was not going to stop until he was back in the States.

"You are going to catch your death out here, young man."

He opened his eyes to see a woman standing there, her weathered face watching him from under the layers of her hood. "I've survived worse." He spoke up, and almost jumped at the sound of his own voice. It had been some time since he spoke, and it almost caused him to forget what it sounded like.

The old woman clicked her tongue. "Americans. Think you can come here and brave the cold of Mother Russia. I have picked so many of your countrymen out of the snow for being stupid." Her heavily accented English made her hard to understand, but he managed.

That statement made him chuckle. "Why would you do that? Pick them out of the snow, I mean?"

"I do not enjoy stepping over frozen bodies when I venture out to the store. So, to ensure that does not happen, I make sure that your people are warm enough before I send them on their way." She pointed to the building that he had rested his head on. "It is a drop in center for the lost and weary. Are you lost and weary?" The truth be told, he was, so he nodded. "Then come in and get a bite to eat, and warm yourself. Then, you will be fit to travel once more."

Maybe fate had guided him to this place, or it was a trap set for Abstergo to catch him once more. Either way, he really didn't care at that point because sitting on that frozen bench had caused his backside to grow cold, and frankly, he really hated the cold. "Thank you."

She waved him off. "I do not want to see you dead by morning from sitting there. Seen too much of that in my years." Turning, she walked back to the door, and standing, he followed behind.

The warmth hit him first, causing a shiver to run though his body. He must have been colder than what he first thought, but he began to thaw out quickly. The woman hung her coat on an antique coatrack at the door, and he did the same. "Thank you again for inviting me in. I haven't been here long."

Grinning at him, she hobbled towards the back, and he could see now that her back was hunched with age, and her movements were stiff. "Then you have picked the wrong time to come see the sights. Winter has been set in for some time, and everything that holds beauty in this city has been under snow for months. You should come back in the summer. Much more to see, and not nearly as cold."

Laughing, he walked with her. "I'll take that into consideration for the next time I visit."

"That is good to know. Maybe I may not find you half-frozen on my doorstep the next time." She gestured to a small table in the room that they came to. "Sit and warm yourself. I will put on some coffee." She walked over to the counter. "I am Tatyana."

"Desmond."

*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*

William Miles rubbed the spot on his forehead where he felt a headache coming on. Between trying to keep up with what was going on at Abstergo, and trying to find out where Desmond was being held, again, it was enough to give him the largest headache he had ever felt. Damien had called some hours ago and told him Isabella's reaction on the news. It didn't shock him at all. She took it better than he thought she would.

The cell phone to his right went off, startling him out of his thoughts. Picking it up, and looking at the number, he didn't recognize it, but that wasn't uncommon these days. Everyone had different numbers than what they did a few months ago.

"Hello?" He answered, and listened to the breathing on the other line.

After a little bit of static, a voice that he thought he would never hear again came over the line. _'Hey Dad.'_

"Desmond." The name came out in a breath, like he couldn't believe that his son was calling him. "Where are you?"

'_I…I rather not say, just in case.' _And he knew what he was saying_. 'I wanted to let you know I was out, and trying to head your way.'_

"I can make that happen." There was nothing that he wouldn't do to finally bring him home. After some time, and a little help from a few people, he finally saw what kind of an ass he had been to his son for so many years.

'_I know, but I think I need to do this on my own. They're still looking for me, and I'm not going to get anyone else involved in this.' _Desmond sighed on the other end._ 'I do have a question. Did you get my message?'_

Leaning back in the chair, he switched ears. "Yeah, I got your message. That was really brilliant by the way."

A small laugh. _'I had to get it out somehow. It was the only thing I could think of at the time.' _Then he paused for a minute._ 'Did you contact Isabella?'_

"I talk to her about once a week, but she wasn't told until a few hours ago. Her parents were worried about her having another breakdown." William didn't know if he should tell him about Collin, so he kept that knowledge quiet for now.

'_A breakdown?' _

"When she came out of the Grand Temple, she went insane. They nearly had her committed to a mental hospital, but she's better now. Starting to readjust to life again." It was killing him inside to not say something, but that was something that he would have to find out from Isabella herself.

'_Look, I need to get off here. I don't have many minutes on this phone. When I get another I'll call, but can you do me a favor?' _Desmond asked and he could hear cars in the background at that time_. 'Can you give me Isabella's number? I…I just want to hear her voice again. You know, let her know I'm alright, and see how she is.'_

A smile crossed his face. "Sure son. Whenever you're ready." And told him the number when he said to. "Desmond, before you get off here, I just want to say, I'm proud of you."

'_Thanks Dad, that means a lot.'_ And the line disconnected.

He hoped that would not be the last time he heard from his son.

*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*

Looking at the phone, he sighed and slide down the wall of the alley he was in. It had been a week since his escape and this was the first time that he had found time to call anyone. Tatyana had given him a few rubles and directions to another place that could help him. He had told her that when he arrived, he had been mugged and the men stole everything. It was the best lie he could come up with on a moment's notice, but she bought it. He had two choices that this time. Start moving out of Russia, and try to find a way home, or begin to fight Abstergo here. Really, the only thing he wanted to do was see Isabella again.

Desmond looked down at the screen of the cell phone he had bought with the money he either stole or bummed. The battery was getting low, and he was running out of places he could go to charge it. Besides, he would have to throw it away soon. He couldn't risk them finding him again. He didn't want them to find him once more. It had been a year of hell.

First they kept him in a coma for months on end, letting him weaken, so he couldn't fight back. Then, when they brought him out of it, it was hours upon hours in the Animus, rummaging through his ancestor's memories, trying to find anything that they could about the Pieces of Eden and anything he knew that would help them. He was thankful that he knew how to fight them on certain things, but there were places that they got from his head. Places that would lead them to other places, and maybe that could get them somewhere, but he wasn't sure.

"You should call her."

He looked up to see Ezio standing there, a smirk on his face. The assassin had become his constant companion, along with Altair, Connor, and Clay. They were there, giving him advice, keeping him from slipping into complete madness. But he knew it was all in his head, even though he could see them. The Bleeding Effect was getting worse, and he knew what was to follow. His descent into total madness was imminent, but at least it hadn't happened yet.

It was them that pushed him to build his strength back up, and to break free. Constantly pushing at him like they had done in life to their assassins. Well, all except Clay, who sat in the background and laughed at them. "Go away Ezio. I'll call her when I'm ready."

"Looks to me like you're too big of a chicken shit to do it. What? Don't want her to know that you're certifiable?" Clay cackled from his place on a trashcan nearby.

"I'm not crazy." Desmond muttered, crossing his arms over his chest and sulked like a small child.

The modern assassin laughed again. "Sure you're not, Dessie. You talk to four dead men, who only you can see. Yeah, you're not crazy. You're a goddamn raving lunatic!"

"Lay off, Clay, he's having a hard enough time with this as it is." Connor took a seat next to him. "Ignore him, Desmond. Do what you would like to do."

Looking at the Native American, he shook his head and exhaled. "You do know that's he's right? I am losing my mind."

"And that is what everyone thought I had done when I stayed locked up with the Apple for many days on end, trying to decode its secrets. You must prove to them that you can overcome, and endure." Altair leaned against the building opposite of him. "You are not so far lost that you cannot come back."

Desmond snorted. "I am talking to four dead guys, and a few of you have been dead for a few hundred years! No, I haven't lost my mind, not in the least."

Ezio laughed. "At least you still have a sense of humor about it. A weaker man would be drooling on himself, or writing things on the wall in blood when they descended as far as you have." And gave a pointed look at Clay.

"Now wait just a damn minute here!" The man in question shot to his feet. "I had to get a message out, and that was the only way to do it."

"Uh huh, keep telling yourself that. You also hid messages in the Animus for him to find. You really didn't have to write in blood. That is just strange." Connor also joined in.

The three of them began to squabble amongst themselves, causing the headache Desmond had been feeling to throb back to life with a vengeance. All he wanted to do was walk away, and hopefully leave them behind, but they were a part of him. The part that let him know that he was slowly, but surely losing his mind.

Looking down at the phone again, he sighed, punched in the numbers that were written on the palm of his hand, and waited on baited breath as it began to ring. One ring… two rings… three rings… and finally someone answered. _'Hello?'_

Isabella's voice flowed over the line, and his hand shook. What was he going to say? He thought about hanging up, but clearing his throat, and a nod from Altair, he spoke. "Isabella?"

The line went silent, but he could hear her breathing on the other end ever so slightly. _'Des…Desmond? Please tell me I'm not imagining this?'_ Her voice wavered and cracked, as if she didn't believe this was happening.

"I'm so sorry it's taken me this long to get in touch with you." A smile spread across his lips, and for once, his world was silent. The other four were gone for now, and it was just him and her once more. "I missed you so much."

A hiccup and a small laugh. _'Same here. How did you get this number?'_

"My dad. He was the first one I called when I got a chance to use a phone. I asked him for your number because I needed to hear your voice again. Make sure I hadn't made you up." He felt like crying. There he sat in a dark alley, his ass going numb from the frozen concrete, and she was so far away.

'_I'm here, and I'll talk as long as you want me to.' _

"What time is it there?" He asked, just trying to find things to say.

Laughing, she answered. _'3:46 AM.'_

Now he felt bad. He should have thought about the time difference when they were a half a world apart. "I should have waited so I didn't wake you up."

'_Des, don't worry about it. I was already awake. I couldn't sleep. Where are you? I want to come get you. I can leave in the morning, and you can be back here sooner. I want you to meet someone.'_ Her voice grew soft, and he became afraid that she had met someone.

"I'm not really up to meeting people, and I can't tell you where I'm at. I will get there soon. Hopefully." And that was saying a lot, because he had no money, no food, and no way to get home, but he wouldn't put her or anyone at risk for him. Not again.

Isabella sighed into the phone. _'You really need to meet him. I wish I had known when we were in Italy together. It might have a changed a few things, but that's said and done.'_ She paused and he could tell she was looking for the words.

"You're not engaged or married, are you?" That news would kill him. The memories he had of his time with her were the only thing that kept him going sometimes. He was in love with her and nothing in the world was going to change that.

She actually laughed at that last question. _'No, not at all. Desmond, what I wish I had known then was, I…I was pregnant. We have a son together.'_

And it was as if someone sucker punched him right in the gut. He had missed so much, and the one thing that he missed completely was that. He had a son with Isabella. Oh holy hell.

He must have been too quiet because her panicked voice came over the line. _'Desmond, are you still there? Please damn it, talk to me!'_

"How…how old is he?" It was the only thing he could think of, when his brain began to process what she had just told him.

'_Almost six months. He was born July 17__th__. Eight pounds, six ounces at 8:22pm. He looks like you with his brown hair and brown eyes. The only thing he has from me is his pale skin, but that could change. I wish you could meet him.' _

Something on the street caught his eye. A large black SUV pulled down the road slowly, as if looking for someone, or something. His voice dipped low. "Isabella, I have to get off here. I think they might have found me. Look, I will call you in a few hours. If I don't, please don't get mad, and look for me. I will find my way back to you. I swear to it."

'_Where are you, Desmond? I swear I'll come get you. I'll get Mom to watch Collin. I'll come alone. You don't need to do this on your own anymore. Let me help!'_ She was crying and he could tell. He wanted to do the same.

And doing something that he swore he was not going to do, he told her. "I'm in Moscow, Russia. I will call you in a few hours and we can talk more then." A car door opened, then another. The SUV had stopped and men began to file out. They had figured it out. "I need to go."

'_Be careful, and I love you.'_

That was something that they had never said to each other. "I love you too." Hitting the end call, Desmond slipped the phone in his pocket, and pulled out the small knife that he found in an abandoned cabin not far from the compound. Like hell he was getting caught again. They would be dead before he was ever brought in once more.

"You need to get out of here." Connor spoke to him as Desmond watched the men look around the area. "You are out-numbered."

"I'm tired of running. I want this to end." He growled and gripped the knife tighter, feeling the old wooden handle bite into the callused flesh on his palm.

"And you're not going to do it today." Altair growled back, stepping into his line of sight. "You have allies, and it would be better to get them than to do this now and get hurt. You have a son you have to think about. You do want to see him, correct?"

The man was right. He wanted to meet his son, so he nodded. "Yes." And loosened the death grip he had on the blade.

"Then get moving." Ezio chimed in.

And as quietly as he could, Desmond slipped into the darkness, away from the men that hunted for him.

***Smiles* The daughter of Eve will be brought in next chapter. This one was becoming long, and I had to save something for the beginning of chapter two. Well, Desmond now knows about his son, and is going crazy. Isabella is now hatching a plan to rescue him from Russia, and William has let go of being an ass. All in all I would say it was a pretty informative chapter! **

**Preview of Chapter Two**

Victoria Bettley shook her head as she pulled the hood farther over her face, hiding her features from the surveillance cameras outside Abstergo Entertainment. It wasn't the wisest thing she had ever done, but there was only three people in this world that she could talk to in this world about what was going on in her head. William Miles, but he was so far out there with his own agendas that she wouldn't ask him. Desmond Miles, who had been dead for a year, and then there was Shaun Hastings, the resident history nut that knew most of the things about the Assassins, Templars and the First Civilization.

And that was why she stood in the rain, head bent down, hiding from the cameras, and waiting for the man to make his exit from the building. And he did not disappoint. Exactly five minutes after he was scheduled off, she watched Shaun exit the building, coffee in one hand and umbrella in another.

He must have seen her, because that was direction that he headed. Holding out the coffee, she took it with a small nod. "Rebecca said you needed something from me?"

As they began to walk down the street, she sipped on the contents of the cup, wishing it was a bit sweeter, but the espresso spoke to her. "Yeah, I need some help identifying some symbols." She spoke up. Asking for help was not in her area of expertise. Normally, if she couldn't figure it out, it was to hell with it, and give it to someone else. That wasn't the case this time. This time it was in her own head, and in an Animus session she had once done.

"Do you have a drawing of said symbols?" He asked, coming to a stop at the edge of the street. The light was green and so they stood there, waiting.

"Yeah, I have them." Opening up her jacket just far enough to get her hand into it, she pulled out the small slip of paper and handed it to the historian.

Unfolding it, his eyes scanned the symbols. "What you have here is First Civilization runes. I don't know the exact translation, but the closest I can get is it talks about the first assassins, Adam and Eve."

"I know the story." Tori rolled her eyes. Her father had told her the whole history of the Assassin/Templar war over and over. She probably knew it better than even the man beside her.

"Well don't get snippy with me. You came to me for help, and I am taking a big risk even talking to you, Tori. If anyone from Abstergo finds out who you are, you are dead and I will be detained, questioned, and then killed." He began to walk when the walk light lit up. She followed beside him, scanning the area for anyone that seemed to be watching him. Her sixth sense had never let her down, and she relied heavy on it now.

"Sorry. As you were." Her dead pan voice spoke out from under the hood.

He snorted, but did continue. "They were the first to remove an Apple, a controlling device from Eden. That was where the story of the Garden of Eden was derived from. It was them taking that first Piece of Eden that started the whole thing."

"But what do these symbols mean?" Tori pointed to the paper, careful not to drip water onto the black ink.

Shaun looked down at them again. "The first one is the sign of Eden." He laid his finger on the swirling lines. "The second is for hybrids, meaning Adam and Eve. They were the first ones after all. The third…" His voice trailed off and he pushed his glasses higher up onto the bridge of his nose. "That is one I am unfamiliar with. I can do some research and try to figure it out, but that's about all I can do."

It was have to be enough. "That'll work. I just want to know what they mean."

Turning a corner, they stepped under an awning, and Shaun closed his umbrella for a moment. "Would you care to tell me why this is so important?"

She had never told anyone about her dreams, or sometimes nightmares. "I see them sometimes. In the dreams I have been having since I was a child. In the last year, they have been getting worse. I don't know why, but I want to find out what they mean."

The historian merely nodded his head. "I can understand that. Well fine, I will help you out under one condition." That was what she was waiting for. "Tell William to get me out of this place. I have been languishing here from months now. This is below my knowledge. I should be hunting out secrets of the Pieces of Eden, or studying ancient relics of the Firsts, not playing barista to a bunch of Abstergo idiots."

For the first time in a good while, she actually laughed. "I'll see what I can do, but for now, just keep this between us. I don't want people to think I'm some whack job like Seth's sister. Pining over a dead man. She needs to move on."

Wrinkling his nose at her. "You haven't heard the news have you?" She shook her head.

"I've been kind of out of the loop for a few months. With Abstergo wanting me, and my father's passing, I haven't been around much." That was putting it mildly. She had been so far underground that she almost could pass as a creature of the night.

"Desmond is alive. He buried a message in that file you retrieved for William. They have been looking for him since."

"I checked him for a pulse. He was dead. He looked dead." That was something kind of scary. If he was alive, did Abstergo have the ability to bring people back from the dead?

Shaun shrugged. "I don't know, but he's alive." Snapping open his umbrella once more, he inclined his head. "I'll be in touch and I hope you talk to William for me." And with that, he walked down the street, leaving her standing there under the awning, too many things running through her mind to sort out.


	2. Chapter 2

**And here comes Chapter two! I want to thank AJGuardian, TBK17, Winter's Sentinel, and the unknown person for their wonderful reviews. I'm glad you enjoy the story so far. As for Tori and her personality, she will get one as the story goes on. Right now, she's just that way. Anyway, on to the chapter!**

Rebecca looked at the clock in her van. It was pushing the time for her to begin work as the courier at Abstergo Entertainment, and from what John had put in his email, it would be a day she would get something good. The man that they had working as their mole, Jack Winslow, didn't know a damn thing about anything relating to the Assassins, Templars, or the like until John recruited him as an escape goat in case they were caught.

Now the man had turned into a downright great spy. Not a soul thought about him in that way. His background was impeccable, and there was nothing linking him to the Order anywhere. That was why he had been recruited to work on the Edward Kenway line, one of Desmond's ancestors. The grandfather to Connor, and father to Haytham Kenway. It was enough to make your head spin if you didn't know the story from the beginning. Luckily, she did.

Pulling into her designated parking spot, she threw on her hat, adding her rain gear for some extra protection, and grabbed the bag from between the seats. It had everything one would need for a job such as hers. The information pad, a notebook, pens, pencils and her ID badge. Thanks to John's computer savvy, he was able to get hers and Shaun's names struck from the database, and get them into the building without a problem.

Climbing out, she hit the lock button on the door, closed it, and yelped when she came face to face with Victoria Bettley. Clutching her heaving chest, she gave the vampire of a woman an evil look. "Don't you know how to introduce yourself and not scare the piss out of someone?" She asked adjusting the strap to her bag.

Tori shook her head. "I need to you to deliver this note to Shaun. He had already gone into the building when I got here." Her cold voice left her shivering. The woman never showed any outward expression. Most likely that's why she couldn't keep a boyfriend.

"So do it yourself. I'm not your messenger." Brushing past the woman, Rebecca began to walk towards the large structure she worked in.

"Becca, please."

The 'please' part stopped her in her tracks, and caused her to turn and look at Tori. "Repeat that again? You just asked for help and said the word 'please' all in one day? Are you feeling ill? Did someone switch personalities with you?" That was the first time in well over twenty years that she had ever heard that woman use that word in a sentence.

"Look, I need some help and Shaun is the only one that can help me. I can't go in that building because if I do, they are going to know who I am, then I'm dead. Please, will you just do this for me? This is the first and the last time I will ever ask you for a favor." Tori pulled out the note and held it out.

Taking it quickly, Rebecca shoved it into her bag. "Fine. He gets off at five, and always walks through the front doors. The man doesn't own a car, so he walks back to the apartment we have here. You should be able to catch him out front at five after." She didn't know why she was going to help Tori, but there was something that was off about her that day. Maybe it was because of that.

Giving a small incline of her head, Tori turned the opposite direction, and vanished into the growing crowd of people showing up for work. The woman was good like that. Showing up, and vanishing just as quickly.

Shaking her head, Rebecca continued her journey into Abstergo. After checking in with security, and having her bag checked, she found Shaun at his station, serving coffee to the masses that needed the extra boost in the morning.

"Rebecca, there you are. Normally you are early. What? Couldn't wake you to your alarm? I told you all that loud music was going to ruin your hearing one day." He hit a button the espresso machine, and she listened to it whirl to life, grinding the coffee to a fine powder.

"No, for your information, I had a visit from an old friend." That was stretching it. More like an old enemy, but she didn't dare say Tori's name out loud. Too many ears within the walls.

That perked his interest. From the look on his face, she knew who he was thinking about, and that was Desmond. She pulled the note out that she had received and handed it to him. Upon reading it, he shoved it deep into the pocket of the slacks that he was wearing. "I see, and has someone finally medicated her, or did she just get laid?"

Not being able to control it, she busted out laughing, drawing a few looks in her direction. Putting her hand over her mouth, she stifled the chuckles that came from her. "I don't know, but it shocked the hell out of me too."

She leaned against the counter and watched him work the machine. "Well, I guess she will have her meeting. I will see what she wants after work, but I think you are about to do a run." He nodded his head in direction of the elevator.

Looking that way, she saw Jack walk over the small bridge at spanned the indoor fish pond and small garden. Abstergo spared no expense in making sure the building was as esthetically pleasing as it was fortified. Security was tighter than a drum head, and everyone knew it. Even she couldn't hack the system and that was saying something.

Jack walked over, pad clutched to his chest like it was a child he had rescued. His blue eyes darted back and forth, and his fair skin was more washed out than normal, making him look downright sickly. She and Shaun exchanged looks as he walked over to them.

"I guess you're waiting for me?" He asked, his voice wavering as he held out the pad.

Tapping a few things on hers, the data was transferred and she quickly skimmed over the details. A place called the Observatory, and a close call with Bartholomew Roberts, aka the Sage. She had heard stories about someone by that name. Most of it was legends passed through the ages, and she never thought two shits about them, until now.

"Here, it's on the house. You look like you could use it." Shaun handed him a cup, which the man gratefully took. "Now, what's got you spooked?"

Jack's eyes darted around once more before they settled back on Rebecca and Shaun. "They are starting to look into the hacking, and if they find out it was me, I'm going to die. You do realize that." He spoke low, and his voice wavered once more.

She smiled reassuringly at him. "That won't happen. If they do find out, we'll get you out of here before they can harm a hair on your head, Jack. That's what we do."

He took a deep breath, exhaled, and his shoulders slumped. "I have faith that you'll get me out of here before anything happens. Thanks."

"Anytime." Looking down at her watch, she saw that she had to get to her next stop. "I have to run. If you have any problems, talk to the ass behind the counter."

Pointing a thumb at Shaun, she began to walk away, when said man called after her. "Call me?"

"Stuff it Hastings." She called over her shoulder, and a smile crossed her face at the muttering she heard from behind the coffee counter.

*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*

Victoria Bettley shook her head as she pulled the hood farther over her face, hiding her features from the surveillance cameras outside Abstergo Entertainment. It wasn't the wisest thing she had ever done, but there was only three people in this world that she could talk to in this world about what was going on in her head. William Miles, but he was so far out there with his own agendas that she wouldn't ask him. Desmond Miles, who had been dead for a year, and then there was Shaun Hastings, the resident history nut that knew most of the things about the Assassins, Templars and the First Civilization.

And that was why she stood in the rain, head bent down, hiding from the cameras, and waiting for the man to make his exit from the building. And he did not disappoint. Exactly five minutes after he was scheduled off, she watched Shaun exit the building, coffee in one hand and umbrella in another.

He must have seen her, because that was direction that he headed. Holding out the coffee, she took it with a small nod. "Rebecca said you needed something from me?"

As they began to walk down the street, she sipped on the contents of the cup, wishing it was a bit sweeter, but the espresso spoke to her. "Yeah, I need some help identifying some symbols." She spoke up. Asking for help was not in her area of expertise. Normally, if she couldn't figure it out, it was to hell with it, and give it to someone else. That wasn't the case this time. This time it was in her own head, and in an Animus session she had once done.

"Do you have a drawing of said symbols?" He asked, coming to a stop at the edge of the street. The light was green and so they stood there, waiting.

"Yeah, I have them." Opening up her jacket just far enough to get her hand into it, she pulled out the small slip of paper and handed it to the historian.

Unfolding it, his eyes scanned the symbols. "What you have here is First Civilization runes. I don't know the exact translation, but the closest I can get is it talks about the first assassins, Adam and Eve."

"I know the story." Tori rolled her eyes. Her father had told her the whole history of the Assassin/Templar war over and over. She probably knew it better than even the man beside her.

"Well don't get snippy with me. You came to me for help, and I am taking a big risk even talking to you, Tori. If anyone from Abstergo finds out who you are, you are dead and I will be detained, questioned, and then killed." He began to walk when the walk light lit up. She followed beside him, scanning the area for anyone that seemed to be watching him. Her sixth sense had never let her down, and she relied heavy on it now.

"Sorry. As you were." Her dead pan voice spoke out from under the hood.

He snorted, but did continue. "They were the first to remove an Apple, a controlling device from Eden. That was where the story of the Garden of Eden was derived from. It was them taking that first Piece of Eden that started the whole thing."

"But what do these symbols mean?" Tori pointed to the paper, careful not to drip water onto the black ink.

Shaun looked down at them again. "The first one is the sign of Eden." He laid his finger on the swirling lines. "The second is for hybrids, meaning Adam and Eve. They were the first ones after all. The third…" His voice trailed off and he pushed his glasses higher up onto the bridge of his nose. "That is one I am unfamiliar with. I can do some research and try to figure it out, but that's about all I can do."

It was have to be enough. "That'll work. I just want to know what they mean."

Turning a corner, they stepped under an awning, and Shaun closed his umbrella for a moment. "Would you care to tell me why this is so important?"

She had never told anyone about her dreams, or sometimes nightmares. "I see them sometimes. In the dreams I have been having since I was a child. In the last year, they have been getting worse. I don't know why, but I want to find out what they mean."

The historian merely nodded his head. "I can understand that. Well fine, I will help you out under one condition." That was what she was waiting for. "Tell William to get me out of this place. I have been languishing here from months now. This is below my knowledge. I should be hunting out secrets of the Pieces of Eden, or studying ancient relics of the Firsts, not playing barista to a bunch of Abstergo idiots."

For the first time in a good while, she actually laughed. "I'll see what I can do, but for now, just keep this between us. I don't want people to think I'm some whack job like Seth's sister. Pining over a dead man. She needs to move on."

Wrinkling his nose at her. "You haven't heard the news have you?" She shook her head.

"I've been kind of out of the loop for a few months. With Abstergo wanting me, and my father's passing, I haven't been around much." That was putting it mildly. She had been so far underground that she almost could pass as a creature of the night.

"Desmond is alive. He buried a message in that file you retrieved for William. They have been looking for him since."

"I checked him for a pulse. He was dead. He looked dead." That was something kind of scary. If he was alive, did Abstergo have the ability to bring people back from the dead?

Shaun shrugged. "I don't know, but he's alive." Snapping open his umbrella once more, he inclined his head. "I'll be in touch and I hope you talk to William for me." And with that, he walked down the street, leaving her standing there under the awning, too many things running through her mind to sort out.

*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*

Bullets flew past his head, biting into the bark of trees, as Desmond ran at full speed through the densely packed forest. Taking a wrong turn the night before, he had ran into one of their units that were hunting for him, and it nearly cost him his life in return.

His lungs screamed for breath as a bullet ripped into a tree not two feet from his head. Ducking the spray, he vaulted a log, and slid down an embankment. Once his boots hit the level ground, he was off once more, trying to get rid of the men that perused him.

Something pierced the soft flesh of his arm, sending a spray of blood out the front. A bullet had finally found its way to him, causing a wound that if he didn't get treated, would probably kill him. So, ignoring the burning white hot pain, he poured everything he had into his legs, trying to get them to go faster.

"Move your ass, Desmond." He heard someone growl next to him, but he didn't dare turn to see what apparition was yelling at him this time.

"There, over there. A fallen tree." A second voice called out to him. "To your left."

Casting his eyes in the direction the voice told him, he saw it. The tree was huge and had fallen up against another, giving him a pathway to the canopy above. It he could get above them, and double back over their heads, he might have a chance to reach their vehicle and get out of there, leaving them stranded for once. It was about the only shot that he had, so he took it.

Damn near doing a ninety degree turn, he felt his feet slide, but before he fell, he gained traction once again, running for the fallen tree, and up the trunk he went. Launching off the end, he safely landed on a sturdy branch, and breathed the first sigh of relief in hours.

Blood oozed down his arm, and began its travel down to the tips of his fingers. Taking a second to survey the damage done to the bicep, he grimaced at the jagged wound. The bullet had grazed the flesh, but did enough damage that it would require stitches to properly heal.

"Anyone see where he went to?"

Smashing himself to the trunk of the tree, he listened to the voices below, hoping that the men wouldn't see where he was hiding. It was only going to be a matter of time before they thought about the treetops, but if they walked past him, he might, just might, have a chance to run once more. This time, he was going to stay off the ground and take a page from Connor's story.

"I say let him go. I know he was hit, and with that storm moving in, he's as good as dead out here." Another man growled. "Let's head back."

"But the boss said to bring him back alive or dead. If we don't do that, we're dead." The first man whined, but Desmond heard his footsteps turn back in the direction they came.

"Then we tell them that we shot him, and his body fell under the ice of the river. They won't go hunting for him until it thaws and you're looking at a few months. By then his body will turn up somewhere." The second guy laughed. "You need to get a backbone."

Poking his head around the edge of the tree, he saw them right near the base of a tree not far from where he was. All he had to do was jump a few branches, and get them from the air. The problem was, he only had one knife and there were two of them. Maybe he could kill one, and snag the gun before the other had time to think. It was worth a shot, and if he failed… No he wasn't going to think like that. He wasn't going to fail. He was going to make it out of this, and he was going to get back to the states. Isabella was waiting for him, and he was going to make it back to her, and to his son.

Judging the distance for his jump, he knew he could make it with little problem, and so he landed with not a sound. The branch was thick and held his weight yet again, but as he looked at the second one, he wasn't so sure about that one. It was only half the thickness of the one that he currently crouched on, and if he hit it wrong, there was about a twenty foot drop to the ground below. But he knew he at least needed on that one to reach one of the men that stood below.

So taking a breath, and exhaling, he took the leap. His right boot connected with the bark, but before he could balance himself, the sole slipped, causing him to fall. Out of instinct, he grabbed for the branch, and his hand held, leaving him dangling by one hand from the limb.

The sound alerted the men, and in horror, Desmond watched them pull their pistols once more. "Did you hear that?" The first man asked, gun at ready, looking around the quickly darkening woods. Twilight was beginning to set in, and soon, pitch black would settle on the land.

"Must be an animal in the trees." The second man looked around as well, but held his gun to the side.

Grabbing the limb with his other hand, he hissed in pain, feeling shards of white hot agony course through his body as he pulled himself back up to the safety of the branches above. He had little strength to begin with, and he was about spent when his rear touched the branch. Breathing hurt from the exertion he had placed upon his chest, but knowing that a chance at freedom lay with these men's deaths, he figured he could breathe later.

Getting back to his feet, and taking the last jump, he watched his prey from the perfect vantage point. Positioning himself just right, the knife was brought out of his jacket pocket, and held at ready. Steadying himself, he knew the timing had to be right, flawless.

"Take a breath in." The voice was now that of Connor. "Hold, release, and then strike. You are able to do this. You will not fail."

Listening to him, Desmond inhaled, slid his right foot an inch sideways, exhaled, and used the honed muscles in his legs to propel him forwards. And for a brief moment in time, it was as if the world slowed. The knife was brought up to strike, and as he began to descend, the blade buried itself into the back of the man that wanted to kill him.

Then time resumed, and using the momentum from his fall, Desmond rolled onto his feet, and grabbed the fallen gun. Turning swiftly, he pointed the business end at the other man. That man fell to his knees, eyes wide in fear. "Please don't kill me." He whimpered, gun abandoned on the forest floor.

"Why shouldn't I? Huh? Answer me that one!" Desmond growled, his thumb cocking the Colt that he took from the dead man. "You assholes have been hunting me for a week now. Trying to take me back somewhere I don't want to be. Now, you kneel before me, begging for your life, all because I have a gun trained at your miserable head."

The man shook in fear. "I won't tell them where you are. Please, I don't want to die. Not here." His voice came out as a whisper.

"You have one chance. I'm not going to kill you, but if you so much as try to follow me, I will not hesitate to blow your brains out the back of your head. Do we understand each other?" The anger from the chase was draining from him, and even though the gun weighted maybe a few pounds, it felt like holding a granite column.

He shook his head in response. "Good." And with that, brought the gun down on the man's head, effectively knocking him out.

"That was a noble thing you did, Desmond." Altair watched him from under the cowl.

Sliding the gun into the waistband of his jeans, he began to search the men. "Don't really care about your option right now." He replied curtly. All he wanted was some keys and maybe some money. Damn he was hungry. It had been almost a day since he had eaten anything.

"Don't you think you should call Isabella? You told her you would call in a few hours, and that was almost nine hours ago." Ezio knelt next to him, his arms relaxed on his bent legs.

"I will when I get to their truck. Phone's dead and I need a charger. I lost mine in the chase." Standing, he counted out the money that he had. About forty rubles, and some change. He would eat well tonight, and be able to buy another card for his phone.

"Then you better get moving, Des. A storm's coming and you don't want to be caught out in it." Clay leaned against a tree, a grin on his face. "Or unless you want to freeze your nuts off out here? I personally opt for warmth."

Shooting the man a glare, he pocketed the cash, and the set of keys. "Shut your mouth. You're dead. You don't feel the cold, or heat."

"Why must you be so hurtful?" He faked being wounded by clutching his chest.

"Clay." Altair growled, and glared at him. "Knock it off."

The wind began to pick up, causing him to shiver. The truck was about two miles in the direction that he had come from. Or so he hoped. The running through the woods had thrown him off, so hoping for the best, he started to walk in the direction his footprints came from.

Connor walked beside him. "Do you not think that man will freeze out here? You said you weren't going to kill him."

Sparing a glance at his ancestor, he shook his head. "I said I wouldn't shoot him, but like hell I'm going to drag his ass out of these woods. Let him figure that out on his own." And he kept right on walking.

**Kind of dark, I know, but I needed to show the difference in Desmond's character from the last story until now. Hopefully everyone likes it.**

**Preview of Chapter Three**

Stepping into the airport from her overseas flight, a yawn passed Isabella's lips as she held onto her carryon bag. Carrying light was a thing for an assassin, but the problem was she could not get her blades into the plane with her. They were safely tucked away in the case her mother has given her. It was her cover, and it worked well.

Weaving her way through the throngs of bodies as she made her way out of the crowded airport, she took in all the people that surrounded her. Families taking vacation, couples holding hands, gazing into each other's eyes, business types talking on their phones, finishing last minute transactions before their flights.

It had been hell trying to get here. At first her mother was completely against it.

"Absolutely not, Isabella!" Sarah placed the last dish in the drying rack, and drained the sink. "I will not allow my only daughter to go gallivanting around Russia trying to find someone."

She groaned, holding her anger in check. It wouldn't get her anywhere to blow up at her mother. Not right now at least. "Mom please! I am his only chance of getting out of that damn country. He needs me."

"He's a trained assassin, sugar. I'm sure he can find his own way out." Opening the fridge, she began to gather things for dinner. "Besides, you have a child now. You need to be with him."

Isabella knew her mother had a point, but damn it, she had to do this. "Fine, but answer me one thing. What you would have done if Dad had called you and told you he was in trouble? Would you have found a way to help him?"

Sarah's hand stilled on the gallon of milk. "That's different, Isabella, and you know it. He's my husband. Of course I would find a way to help, but I'm no assassin."

Taking a softer tone, she looked at her mother. "But I am. Mom, this is what I was trained for. I was trained to help people in need. To fight the wrongs in this world, and to free my fellow man from the grip of the Templars. Desmond is in trouble with the Templars. He is also Collin's father. Can you not see that I need to do this?"

Her mother straightened up, and sighed. "But I don't want my grandson growing up without his mother. If you do this, you could lose your life, or be taken again. I don't think my heart could handle that once more."

Gathering her in a hug, Isabella smiled. "I'll be okay. This is what I do. I know I can get in, and get out him out before they know I'm even there. Please help me do this."

She felt her mother's shoulders slump. "Fine, but you are going in as me. I still have friends in the botany field, and taking a trip to Russia to study the flora in the winter would not look strange." Pulling away from her daughter, Sarah shook her head. "I'll buy you as much time as needed, but when your father finds out…"

"He's going to come after me, I know, but he won't risk doing that long of a flight. His name is on that list of Abstergo's most wanted, along with a few people we know." She smiled. "I'll be back in a few days. Please don't let Daddy follow. I need to prove to him that I am what he trained me to be, and this has to be my mission."

Her mother took her hand, and led her upstairs. Opening the safe that was hidden in the back of her closet, Isabella watched her pull out a few things. "You are going to need cash, and at least some kind of protection." Standing, she grabbed a case from the top shelf. "Your weapons should be able to go in here. A botanist with a few knives won't raise any brows. When you go deep into the woods, you have to have some protection."

Opening it up, she saw soil sample trays, a few scrappers, and various other things she didn't even know. "I can't even tell what all this is."

Laughing, Sarah closed the case. "I'll give you the manual. It will give you something to read during your flight." Looking around the room, she huffed. "Now, you had best go get your things together, and scoot before your father gets back. He's due to return in the morning with your brother. I'll call and get you a flight."

Hugging her once more, Isabella's heart began to soar. "Thanks Mom, for everything."

Grabbing the case from the luggage carousel, she looked around the airport once more. A sign caught her attention. The name 'Sarah Bellucci' was emblazed on the white board. Walking over to the man who held the sign, she gave him an arched brow. "And you are?" She asked.

"Vladimir. You must be Ms. Bellucci I would assume." His thick Russian accent almost butchered her last name. "I was told you would be here today. Your mother said to take you into town."

Her mother had mentioned knowing a few people that lived here from her time taking soil samples near the Chernobyl sight. "How do you know her?" She had be sure. Like hell she was about to get into a car with a man she didn't know. That was a recipe for disaster.

"Walk with me?" His dark eyes darted around, and she had a feeling they were being watched.

"You so much as trick me, and I will take you down." She growled, holding onto the handle of the case.

A nod came from him, and they walked towards the door. "I worked with your mother when she first came out here in the mid-eighties. She was a part of group sent to study the effects of radiation on the local flora. You father, Damien, I believe his name was, came with her." He paused and pulled some sunglasses from his breast pocket. "That was when I found out about the Brotherhood."

Well that perked her interest. "So, you're one of us?"

He nodded. "Yes. Well, to everyone else, I am just a hired guard. I was one of a few guards hired to watch the equipment when your parents came. Now, I am part of a team that was dispatched to find out why Abstergo has been running all over Moscow and the surrounding area."

She knew why. "What have you found out?" She asked, readjusting the strap to her bag.

"They are looking for the man that you currently are in search of. They came close last night, but those men have yet to return. We have friends within their walls here. Not enough to make a difference, but enough to get us information." Vladimir pulled out a set of keys from his pocket, and led her out the front doors. "My car is not far from here. If you would like, I can take you to a hotel for you to freshen up."

Shaking her head, she looked at him. "No. Do you know where they disappeared at?" It was her only lead to Desmond, and if it was a few hours old, there was no telling how far he was from the site. She had to get there fast.

"I do. I assume you would like to go there first?" Nodding, she walked next to him as they headed towards his car. "Then, I will take you there, but be warned. He has been clever enough to stay away from places that are heavily populated. No one knows how to find him."

A cell phone sat in her bag, and the number that she called him on was saved in the directory. "I might be able to find him. I just have to get to that site."


	3. Chapter 3

Books upon books were spread out on the table in front of him, nothing making sense as Shaun poured over old tomes, and handwritten notes. The last symbol that Tori had given him a few days ago could be translated into so many things, if looking at hieroglyphics. But then you had to factor in some Roman and Greek writing, and then it took on a whole new meaning. He scratched his head, removed his glasses, and rubbed his tired eyes.

He had been at this almost as soon as he came back, pausing only to use the bathroom, and fix something to eat. The books were everywhere, covering all the tables, and received some rather nasty looks from Rebecca when she would come in.

Speaking of the woman, she lounged on the couch, headphones over her ears, most likely trying to drown out the small curse words that would come from his lips. Her toes tapped along with the music and he could tell it was some form of rock and roll. He personally, preferred classical or even big band era to the ear-splitting beats of the new generation bands.

"Rebecca." He called out her name, but got no response. "Rebecca!" He called louder, but still the same. "Bloody hell woman." Removing himself from the chair, feeling his spine pop, and his joints pulling from lack of use, he walked over to the couch, standing in front of the TV.

She finally looked up at him, removing the headphones. "What?" She asked, giving him a look that she was none too happy about being disturbed.

"I called your name and you didn't answer. I believe you have that music up too loud." He crossed his arms over his chest, and gave her a half-hearted glare.

Chuckling, she sat up and smiled. "Oh, I heard you. I just chose to ignore you."

"Oh all the…!" He spit and sputtered, not really knowing what to say to that. "I need your help."

That must have caught her curiosity, because she stood. "Alright, Mr. Genius, what can I do for you?"

Waving her over to the table, he picked up one of the books that he had been studying. "I am utterly lost on the translation of the third symbol. The first two begin the story of Eden, but the final one I cannot for the life of me find a translation for. I even had Bill send out everything he had on the subject. Which I am sad to say was very little, but I am at a loss."

She sifted through the lose papers, looking at a few, then passing a few more up. "Have you ever thought about scanning all of this into a computer? I could make a program that could scan all of these pages, and find a close matching symbol. It wouldn't take no more than a few days for me to come up with it. I mean, we have the knowledge from the Animus."

Something in his brain clicked when she said 'Animus'. "Oh Rebecca, I could kiss you right now!" He grinned. "Do you still have the data from Desmond's time as Ezio in the late 1400's?" She nodded, not quite catching on. "There was a glyph in there similar to this one. If I can isolate that one, then figure out its origins, maybe I can figure this massive puzzle out!"

It could work. It was the best lead that he had in days. All he had to do was find that one glyph. It shouldn't be that hard. There were only twenty of them, and he could isolate just that part of the data. He was hoping it would be no more than a few days before he would have the answers the woman sought.

Something tapped him on his shoulder, and when he looked up, Rebecca was standing there, holding her laptop. "You wanna do this now, or after you clean up your puddle of drool?"

"What?" Shaun asked, completely oblivious as to what she was going on about.

"You entered lala land when I told you I still had the data. Jeeze Shaun! Most men get that excited when a girl says they'll lay them, not about computer data. You Brits and your damn weird ways." She sat the computer down, and opened it up. Pulling out a portable scanner, she hooked it up as well. "This should help. With the programming already in the Animus data, you can most likely scan that symbol, and the computer will find it for you. No need to sit here and search for it yourself."

He watched in rapped fascination as Rebecca began to work her magic. Scanning the paper into the software, she set it up to find a close match. Once she was done, her eyes turned to her. "Done. Now when it finds something, it will start to yell at you."

"You have my deepest thanks. What would I do without you?" His eyes watched the screen as many images flashed past.

"Still be sitting there in your own filth, trying to figure out a complex puzzle that my computer is going to figure for you in a fraction of the time." Grinning, she rapped him on his back. "Now, here's an idea. Go get a shower, and we can go get food. There's this seafood joint not far from here that I am dying to try. You could get out of here as well."

"I do not…" He took a whiff of his shirt and recoiled in horror. "Bloody hell! Why didn't you tell me sooner?"

She laughed like a hyena. "Wanted to see if you would notice on your own. I guess you didn't. Thank heavens that you were off the last three days."

Now he knew he had been wrapped up in the puzzle for far too long. "I think I will go take that shower now."

*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*

Stepping into the airport from her overseas flight, a yawn passed Isabella's lips as she held onto her carryon bag. Carrying light was a thing for an assassin, but the problem was she could not get her blades into the plane with her. They were safely tucked away in the case her mother has given her. It was her cover, and it worked well.

Weaving her way through the throngs of bodies as she made her way out of the crowded airport, she took in all the people that surrounded her. Families taking vacation, couples holding hands, gazing into each other's eyes, business types talking on their phones, finishing last minute transactions before their flights.

It had been hell trying to get here. At first her mother was completely against it.

"Absolutely not, Isabella!" Sarah placed the last dish in the drying rack, and drained the sink. "I will not allow my only daughter to go gallivanting around Russia trying to find someone."

She groaned, holding her anger in check. It wouldn't get her anywhere to blow up at her mother. Not right now at least. "Mom please! I am his only chance of getting out of that damn country. He needs me."

"He's a trained assassin, sugar. I'm sure he can find his own way out." Opening the fridge, she began to gather things for dinner. "Besides, you have a child now. You need to be with him."

Isabella knew her mother had a point, but damn it, she had to do this. "Fine, but answer me one thing. What you would have done if Dad had called you and told you he was in trouble? Would you have found a way to help him?"

Sarah's hand stilled on the gallon of milk. "That's different, Isabella, and you know it. He's my husband. Of course I would find a way to help, but I'm no assassin."

Taking a softer tone, she looked at her mother. "But I am. Mom, this is what I was trained for. I was trained to help people in need. To fight the wrongs in this world, and to free my fellow man from the grip of the Templars. Desmond is in trouble with the Templars. He is also Collin's father. Can you not see that I need to do this?"

Her mother straightened up, and sighed. "But I don't want my grandson growing up without his mother. If you do this, you could lose your life, or be taken again. I don't think my heart could handle that once more."

Gathering her in a hug, Isabella smiled. "I'll be okay. This is what I do. I know I can get in, and get out him out before they know I'm even there. Please help me do this."

She felt her mother's shoulders slump. "Fine, but you are going in as me. I still have friends in the botany field, and taking a trip to Russia to study the flora in the winter would not look strange." Pulling away from her daughter, Sarah shook her head. "I'll buy you as much time as needed, but when your father finds out…"

"He's going to come after me, I know, but he won't risk doing that long of a flight. His name is on that list of Abstergo's most wanted, along with a few people we know." She smiled. "I'll be back in a few days. Please don't let Daddy follow. I need to prove to him that I am what he trained me to be, and this has to be my mission."

Her mother took her hand, and led her upstairs. Opening the safe that was hidden in the back of her closet, Isabella watched her pull out a few things. "You are going to need cash, and at least some kind of protection." Standing, she grabbed a case from the top shelf. "Your weapons should be able to go in here. A botanist with a few knives won't raise any brows. When you go deep into the woods, you have to have some protection."

Opening it up, she saw soil sample trays, a few scrappers, and various other things she didn't even know. "I can't even tell what all this is."

Laughing, Sarah closed the case. "I'll give you the manual. It will give you something to read during your flight." Looking around the room, she huffed. "Now, you had best go get your things together, and scoot before your father gets back. He's due to return in the morning with your brother. I'll call and get you a flight."

Hugging her once more, Isabella's heart began to soar. "Thanks Mom, for everything."

Grabbing the case from the luggage carousel, she looked around the airport once more. A sign caught her attention. The name 'Sarah Bellucci' was emblazed on the white board. Walking over to the man who held the sign, she gave him an arched brow. "And you are?" She asked.

"Vladimir. You must be Ms. Bellucci I would assume." His thick Russian accent almost butchered her last name. "I was told you would be here today. Your mother said to take you into town."

Her mother had mentioned knowing a few people that lived here from her time taking soil samples near the Chernobyl sight. "How do you know her?" She had be sure. Like hell she was about to get into a car with a man she didn't know. That was a recipe for disaster.

"Walk with me?" His dark eyes darted around, and she had a feeling they were being watched.

"You so much as trick me, and I will take you down." She growled, holding onto the handle of the case.

A nod came from him, and they walked towards the door. "I worked with your mother when she first came out here in the mid-eighties. She was a part of group sent to study the effects of radiation on the local flora. You father, Damien, I believe his name was, came with her." He paused and pulled some sunglasses from his breast pocket. "That was when I found out about the Brotherhood."

Well that perked her interest. "So, you're one of us?"

He nodded. "Yes. Well, to everyone else, I am just a hired guard. I was one of a few guards hired to watch the equipment when your parents came. Now, I am part of a team that was dispatched to find out why Abstergo has been running all over Moscow and the surrounding area."

She knew why. "What have you found out?" She asked, readjusting the strap to her bag.

"They are looking for the man that you currently are in search of. They came close last night, but those men have yet to return. We have friends within their walls here. Not enough to make a difference, but enough to get us information." Vladimir pulled out a set of keys from his pocket, and led her out the front doors. "My car is not far from here. If you would like, I can take you to a hotel for you to freshen up."

Shaking her head, she looked at him. "No. Do you know where they disappeared at?" It was her only lead to Desmond, and if it was a few hours old, there was no telling how far he was from the site. She had to get there fast.

"I do. I assume you would like to go there first?" Nodding, she walked next to him as they headed towards his car. "Then, I will take you there, but be warned. He has been clever enough to stay away from places that are heavily populated. No one knows how to find him."

A cell phone sat in her bag, and the number that she called him on was saved in the directory. "I might be able to find him. I just have to get to that site."

*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*

Removing the binoculars from his eyes, Seth passed them off to his father. "They are on the move. Must have found something out." Picking up a pad of paper, he jotted down the time. He and his father had been staking out one of Abstergo's wharfs in Miami for a few days now. It was them and four other people, but with the two of them having bounties on their heads, they couldn't get close enough to know much. They relied heavily on what the others brought them, and what they were finding out from Shaun and Rebecca up north.

Damien readjusted the focus. "It seems so. It has something to do with this Observatory that I have been hearing about."

"Shouldn't we just go find it ourselves? Beat them to the punch? I mean, we do have one person that knows its location. Why not bust him out, and have him take us there?" Seth looked over at his father. "It would save us some time."

Setting down the binoculars, he looked at his son. "Because we are not sure that is what they are going after, Seth. If they have not found it yet, then there may still be time. We can't go barreling into a situation that we have no clue as to what they are planning. For all we know, this could be a ruse to have us take them to it."

"But…" He began, but decided to clamp his mouth shut. It would do him no good to argue with his father. Besides, he did bring up a valid point. If the Templars didn't know the exact location, and the Assassins did, they would know something was up, and it could get a few people killed.

The phone that sat between them began to vibrate. Damien picked it up and answered it. "Yes Bill?"

Taking the binoculars back, he watched the dock workers load the freighter with cargo and supplies. They had been working on the vessel for well over a week now, claiming on paper that it was for transportation of medication to the people of South America. The copy of the manifests were that of pharmaceuticals, but he had never heard of them before.

Hanging up the phone, his dad looked over at him. "We are being reassigned."

"Huh?" That wasn't something he was ready for. They had spent days here, watching and planning, and now they were being pulled? "Why?" Was the only thing that came from his mouth.

"There is a man that has to be grabbed. His name is Olivier Garneau, and he oversees the Abstergo Entertainment division. We have questions, and he has answers." His father started up the car, and pulled it down into drive. "We are to meet Bill in Chicago. That is where the shareholder's meeting is going to take place."

He couldn't believe he was hearing this. "And you do realize that we have to drive clear to the top of the country. That's going to take us over a day to drive."

Pulling onto the road, his father angled the car towards the highway. "I know, but this must be done, Seth. We are the only ones available to do it. Besides, Bill will be meeting us, and Tori will be there as well."

"Oh great! Let's bring her along." He rolled his eyes and sunk down in the seat. "You know how well we get along. Why you're at it, why not bring a bomb with you to kill the rest of the people?"

"Seth." Damien warned. "I'm not asking you to like her again. All that's being asked is for you to work with her and us to take this man in. It's not like I'm asking you to marry her."

He looked at the man in the driver's seat. "No, you already did that once before. 'Oh Seth, you and her would be wonderful together. Think about the Brotherhood.'" He mocked his father's speech to him a few years ago. "Yeah, we almost killed each other. Thanks, but no thanks."

"Don't you start with me. I will drop you off with your mother, and pick up your sister. Maybe she would have a better attitude about this." Pulling onto the highway, they headed out of the city. "I bet she would love to get out of that house."

Snorting, Seth watched the cars pass by his window as they rolled down the road. "Yeah, and the first chance she gets, she's going to try and find Desmond. Isn't that why you won't let her on missions right now? Because you know she's got her own agenda?"

Silence settled in the car for a moment before his father sighed. "Your sister is a very complicated person right now. She has gone through so much in the last year. It's understandable for her to want to find that boy."

He was catching the underlying meaning. Everyone had said the same thing. Isabella was off her rocker. "No, she's not complicated. She had two things on her mind. Collin and now Desmond. You really think you're going to stop her from leaving when she wants? I don't think so. Dad, you said it yourself. She is a force to be reckoned with. With all that training she's had, I'm pretty sure you, Bill, or Tori can't stop her." He knew he was caught between a rock and hard place. "Fine, I'll go with you, but you had better not pair me up with her."

A light chuckle came from the driver's seat. "Would I do that to you?"

"Yes." Came his reply. He knew his father, and they had worked together long enough to know that his father was always trying to get him a girlfriend. Being an assassin full time now kind of limited his choices on women. He could picture his first date when they asked what he did. No, that wouldn't be awkward. Not at all.

All his father did was laugh as they drove towards their destination.

**Preview of Chapter Four**

Desmond raised his head up from the makeshift bed he had made the night before. The small shed he had found on the back of an abandoned property had provided enough shelter from the elements, but his arm was telling him that he really needed to have it looked at. The pain was getting worse and the skin around the wound was now inflamed and burned like a branding iron. He knew an infection when he saw one, and this was getting worse.

Rising from the old blankets he had scavenged, the wind howled outside, letting him know he was in for another cold day. Pulling the phone from the inside pocket of his jacket, he saw that it was four in the afternoon. Not a wonderful way to start the day, but he also knew that he had to get a move on. Abstergo was not going to just sit idle and wait from him to be spotted. They would have more men out looking for him now.

Grabbing the small first aid kit that he found in the back of the truck he procured from Abstergo, and removing his jacket, he gingerly peeled off the old gauze and bandages from the wound. The putrid smell of infection and rot reached his nose, causing him to gag, but he didn't know where to go, or where any hospital was.

So, after carefully rewrapping the wound, he leaned back against the shed's wall, feeling it give a bit at his weight. His stomach rumbled, telling him that it was completely empty, and he knew it. But there was no money left. Not even enough for a small pack of gum. He thought about going into the small town of Obninsk that he had passed the night before, but he had finally seen himself in a mirror of being on the run now for a week. His hair, which was longer than normal, was knotted and full of leaves and things only found in the forest. His brown eyes were sunk in from lack of food, and sleep, and he smelled like a trash can.

Tears weld up in his eyes, and he had a feeling he wasn't getting out of this alive. The SUV was nearly out of gas, his arm was so infected that he knew it was a matter of time before it moved into his blood stream, and all he could think about was how Isabella was going to take his death yet again.

Just the thought of her made his heart hurt, and the tears fall. He had failed her, and she would never know how much he tried to get back to her. How much he wanted to be there with her and their son. He was going to die in that little shack and there was no telling when anyone was going to find his body. They wouldn't even know who he was. Just another homeless man trying to get out of the weather.

Picking back up the phone, he dialed the cellphone number she had given him last night when he finally was able to call her. She had told him it was her personal line and that only she would answer it. After two rings, she did pick up. 'Desmond, thank God you called. I was getting worried.' Her voice came over the line, causing the tears to fall harder.

"I am so, so sorry." He told her, leaning his head against the cold wood.

'For what?' She asked.

"For thinking I can do this on my own." He now knew that he should have asked for help sooner. If he had, he might not be in this mess.

'Where are you?' She demanded. 'I'm coming to get you. I said I would, and now I am.'

He laughed bitterly. "You won't get here in time. You're in the States, and I don't know how much longer I can take the cold."

'Desmond, listen to me. I'm leaving Moscow. My plane landed an hour ago. I can get to you. Where are you?'

"Huh?" He didn't expect her to come. He told her not to come, but thinking back, when did she ever listen, and this time he was glad she didn't. "You're here?"

'Yes, but I can't come get you if I don't know where in this damn country you are.' Her voice was strong, but he was not.

"I don't know. I'm near a town called Obninsk. I'll… I'll try to make it into town. I have a car." Pushing himself up, his limbs protested to the movements because of the pain, the chill in his body, and the exertion yesterday. "Will you… will you talk to me until you get here? I'm not doing too hot."

'What happened?' Her voice wavered, and he could tell she was most likely on the verge of tears.

"Got shot." He hissed as he finally stood straight. It was painful to do so, but he managed. Tucking the phone into the crook of his shoulder, he pushed the door open with his good arm, and frowned when he saw all the snow that had fallen the night before. There had to be at least six or more inches.

'You got shot? How bad is it?' From her tone, she was beyond scared, and he felt bad for do that to her.

"Yeah, in the arm. It's pretty bad, I'm not gonna lie." He looked at the snow some more, and knew that he had to get to the SUV, which he hid in the barn at least a half mile from his current position. "Bella, I don't even know if you can save me this time."

Isabella snorted over the line. 'I will damn sure try. I'm not giving up on you, Desmond Miles, so you had better have your ass in that town in under an hour.'

He laughed as he trudged through the deep snow, nearly falling a few times. "Now you sound like my dad."

'Well someone has to push you, and push you I will. I didn't fly halfway around the world to bring back a corpse. You're going to be fine, and damn it, we are going to give our son the family he needs.' Her voice became strong once more, and he wished he was as optimistic as she was. The bitter temperatures were sapping what little strength he had left.

The barn wasn't too far now. He could see it just in front of him. He was going to make it. "Bella, do you remember that one time we were shipwrecked?" The memory took his mind off the pain for a minute. It was the first time he had actually kissed her. It was the one of the greatest days of his life.

She chuckled. 'Yeah, I remember. You got me to skin that animal. I still find that disgusting.'

"But it was worth it. That honestly has to be one of the best memories I have. Not the shipwreck, but just being with you." Laying his hand on the wooden barn, he took a few shallow breaths. It was difficult to even do that at the moment. The freezing cold was hard on his lungs.

'The best memory I have is the first night I met you. That was the night that changed everything for me.' Her tone was soft and he heard a sigh. 'You know, you were too chicken shit to talk to me the next day.'

Opening up the barn door was a feat, but he did it, and got in the SUV. "I know I was. I never really had a lot of interaction with women who weren't drunk before." Pulling the keys from the visor, he fired up the motor, and almost cheered when it started.

She laughed at him, but from the waver in the sound, he knew she was still worried. 'Des, you are so messed up.'

Letting out a yawn, Desmond leaned back in the seat. "I know, but…" Another yawn escaped him, and his eyes tried to shut, but giving his head a good shake, he tried to stay awake. "but, you know you enjoy it."

'That I do.'

His phone began to beep, signaling that it was coming to the end of its battery life. He had maybe a few minutes of talk time left. "Isabella, listen to me, if we get cut off, don't worry. My phone is dying, and I don't have a way to charge it." He had forgotten the charger in the shed and he wasn't about to make the trek back to get it. To hell with that.

'Then I'll let you go. That way it'll be there for me to find you when we get to town. Just hold on for a little bit longer. I'll see you soon.' Her voice brought him a measure of comfort in that dark time, but even then he knew he still had to make it to her.

"Okay. I'll leave it near me." And he hung up the phone. He was so tired, but he could sleep more after he got to her.


	4. Chapter 4

Desmond raised his head up from the makeshift bed he had made the night before. The small shed he had found on the back of an abandoned property had provided enough shelter from the elements, but his arm was telling him that he really needed to have it looked at. The pain was getting worse and the skin around the wound was now inflamed and burned like a branding iron. He knew an infection when he saw one, and this was getting worse.

Rising from the old blankets he had scavenged, the wind howled outside, letting him know he was in for another cold day. Pulling the phone from the inside pocket of his jacket, he saw that it was four in the afternoon. Not a wonderful way to start the day, but he also knew that he had to get a move on. Abstergo was not going to just sit idle and wait from him to be spotted. They would have more men out looking for him now.

Grabbing the small first aid kit that he found in the back of the truck he procured from Abstergo, and removing his jacket, he gingerly peeled off the old gauze and bandages from the wound. The putrid smell of infection and rot reached his nose, causing him to gag, but he didn't know where to go, or where any hospital was.

So, after carefully rewrapping the wound, he leaned back against the shed's wall, feeling it give a bit at his weight. His stomach rumbled, telling him that it was completely empty, and he knew it. But there was no money left. Not even enough for a small pack of gum. He thought about going into the small town of Obninsk that he had passed the night before, but he had finally seen himself in a mirror of being on the run now for a week. His hair, which was longer than normal, was knotted and full of leaves and things only found in the forest. His brown eyes were sunk in from lack of food, and sleep, and he smelled like a trash can.

Tears weld up in his eyes, and he had a feeling he wasn't getting out of this alive. The SUV was nearly out of gas, his arm was so infected that he knew it was a matter of time before it moved into his blood stream, and all he could think about was how Isabella was going to take his death yet again.

Just the thought of her made his heart hurt, and the tears fall. He had failed her, and she would never know how much he tried to get back to her. How much he wanted to be there with her and their son. He was going to die in that little shack and there was no telling when anyone was going to find his body. They wouldn't even know who he was. Just another homeless man trying to get out of the weather.

Picking back up the phone, he dialed the cellphone number she had given him last night when he finally was able to call her. She had told him it was her personal line and that only she would answer it. After two rings, she did pick up. 'Desmond, thank God you called. I was getting worried.' Her voice came over the line, causing the tears to fall harder.

"I am so, so sorry." He told her, leaning his head against the cold wood.

'For what?' She asked.

"For thinking I can do this on my own." He now knew that he should have asked for help sooner. If he had, he might not be in this mess.

'Where are you?' She demanded. 'I'm coming to get you. I said I would, and now I am.'

He laughed bitterly. "You won't get here in time. You're in the States, and I don't know how much longer I can take the cold."

'Desmond, listen to me. I'm leaving Moscow. My plane landed an hour ago. I can get to you. Where are you?'

"Huh?" He didn't expect her to come. He told her not to come, but thinking back, when did she ever listen, and this time he was glad she didn't. "You're here?"

'Yes, but I can't come get you if I don't know where in this damn country you are.' Her voice was strong, but he was not.

"I don't know. I'm near a town called Obninsk. I'll… I'll try to make it into town. I have a car." Pushing himself up, his limbs protested to the movements because of the pain, the chill in his body, and the exertion yesterday. "Will you… will you talk to me until you get here? I'm not doing too hot."

'What happened?' Her voice wavered, and he could tell she was most likely on the verge of tears.

"Got shot." He hissed as he finally stood straight. It was painful to do so, but he managed. Tucking the phone into the crook of his shoulder, he pushed the door open with his good arm, and frowned when he saw all the snow that had fallen the night before. There had to be at least six or more inches.

'You got shot? How bad is it?' From her tone, she was beyond scared, and he felt bad for do that to her.

"Yeah, in the arm. It's pretty bad, I'm not gonna lie." He looked at the snow some more, and knew that he had to get to the SUV, which he hid in the barn at least a half mile from his current position. "Bella, I don't even know if you can save me this time."

Isabella snorted over the line. 'I will damn sure try. I'm not giving up on you, Desmond Miles, so you had better have your ass in that town in under an hour.'

He laughed as he trudged through the deep snow, nearly falling a few times. "Now you sound like my dad."

'Well someone has to push you, and push you I will. I didn't fly halfway around the world to bring back a corpse. You're going to be fine, and damn it, we are going to give our son the family he needs.' Her voice became strong once more, and he wished he was as optimistic as she was. The bitter temperatures were sapping what little strength he had left.

The barn wasn't too far now. He could see it just in front of him. He was going to make it. "Bella, do you remember that one time we were shipwrecked?" The memory took his mind off the pain for a minute. It was the first time he had actually kissed her. It was the one of the greatest days of his life.

She chuckled. 'Yeah, I remember. You got me to skin that animal. I still find that disgusting.'

"But it was worth it. That honestly has to be one of the best memories I have. Not the shipwreck, but just being with you." Laying his hand on the wooden barn, he took a few shallow breaths. It was difficult to even do that at the moment. The freezing cold was hard on his lungs.

'The best memory I have is the first night I met you. That was the night that changed everything for me.' Her tone was soft and he heard a sigh. 'You know, you were too chicken shit to talk to me the next day.'

Opening up the barn door was a feat, but he did it, and got in the SUV. "I know I was. I never really had a lot of interaction with women who weren't drunk before." Pulling the keys from the visor, he fired up the motor, and almost cheered when it started.

She laughed at him, but from the waver in the sound, he knew she was still worried. 'Des, you are so messed up.'

Letting out a yawn, Desmond leaned back in the seat. "I know, but…" Another yawn escaped him, and his eyes tried to shut, but giving his head a good shake, he tried to stay awake. "but, you know you enjoy it."

'That I do.'

His phone began to beep, signaling that it was coming to the end of its battery life. He had maybe a few minutes of talk time left. "Isabella, listen to me, if we get cut off, don't worry. My phone is dying, and I don't have a way to charge it." He had forgotten the charger in the shed and he wasn't about to make the trek back to get it. To hell with that.

'Then I'll let you go. That way it'll be there for me to find you when we get to town. Just hold on for a little bit longer. I'll see you soon.' Her voice brought him a measure of comfort in that dark time, but even then he knew he still had to make it to her.

"Okay. I'll leave it near me." And he hung up the phone. He was so tired, but he could sleep more after he got to her.

*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*

"Can't you go any faster?" Isabella looked over at Vlad, who sat tall in the driver's seat.

He chuckled. "Do not worry, Isabella. He are making good time, and if we are not careful with our speed, we will be pulled over, and that will take us longer to get there." He slowed the car to make a turn. "We will be there in under twenty minutes."

Twisting the phone she had in her hand, her eyes gazed out the window to the snow covered trees that passed. It had been almost twenty minutes since she had talked to Desmond last, and the way he sounded had he worried to no end. He was in a bad way, and her biggest fear was they wouldn't make it in time.

Sitting in the car was hard enough, but just thinking about everything that could go wrong was making it worse. Her thoughts were getting the best of her, so trying to clear her head, she glanced again at her temporary partner. "I'm climbing in the back to get ready."

All he did was nod his head, his dark eyes never leaving the road. Climbing into the back seat, she took a seat, and undid the lock that was on her mother's case. Inside lay the only weapons she liked to use, and that was her hidden blades. Sure she knew how to use a gun, but it wasn't her first choice. The familiar weight of the steel belted to her forearms gave her a measure of comfort that calmed her nerves, and made her think of better times.

Pulling them out, Isabella pulled up the sleeves of her jacket, and slipped on the modified leather bracers. Once they were tight, she buckled the blades to where they were to be, and pulled her jacket sleeves back down. If she wasn't careful, she was going to cut the edge of her sleeve, but that would be a small price to pay for preventing her own death.

"Isabella." Vlad called her name from the front seat, and she raised her head to look at him. "We have arrived."

Her eyes drifted out the windshield as a few houses were visible through the heavy trees, but buildings were able to be seen over the treetops in the distance. "What is this town?" She asked, climbing back into her original seat, and buckling up.

"Obninsk is a science town. It was built around the old nuclear power plant here. It has many scientific academies as well." Slowing down more as they entered a new speed zone, he held out her phone. "You may want to call him now. Find out where he is. I do not want to be here any longer than we must."

Giving him a nod, she took the device, and found Desmond's number. After a few rings, he answered. 'I hope you're here.' His voice was low, and a few coughs followed.

Swallowing the lump in her throat, she answered. "Yeah, where are you?"

'Outside of town. The truck ran out of gas before I even made it into town. Had to abandon it because Abstergo would know it was theirs.'

Rattling off a road sign he had seen, she asked Vlad if he knew where he was talking about. "I do. We are about five minutes from there. He is near the entrance to the power plant." Turning down another street, she went back to talking to Desmond.

"Hold on just a few more minutes. We'll be there soon. Vlad knows where you are." She smiled. Just a little but longer. "Can you see the road?"

'A little bit.' His voice became strained and she could hear his labored breathing.

"We're in a dark green sedan. I'll try and stay on the phone with you until we get there, but do you think you're phone's going to last that long?" She was worried that if he was off the road, and passed out, they wouldn't find him.

Another cough, and it sounded like he spit. 'It should. It's got like ten percent left.'

Doing the calculations in her head, she figured it out to be about ten minutes of talk time, if that. "Well, I hope it does last. It'll be a lot easier to find you that way."

'Yeah, because I really don't want to start yelling for ya. That might hurt my pride a bit.' He tried to laugh. At least he was doing better than he was earlier with his talk about not making it.

Isabella laughed a little. "I'll ignore it this time."

They chatted about stupid things just to keep him on the line until she saw the sign he was talking about. There was a black truck a ways down the road that she assumed was his. "Desmond, we're here. I'm getting out. Where are you?" All she could see were white fields, and trees.

'There's a ditch on the side of the road. I'm down in there.' She heard rustling on his end of the line, and knew that he was going to try and make it up to them.

"Just stay put. I'm coming down there." Turning to Vlad, she nodded. "I'm going down to get him. Please watch the roads. I'll yell if I need help."

He returned the nod, and leaned against the car. Waiting for a car to pass, she darted across, and began her descent down the embankment. 'Isabella?' Desmond asked on his end.

"Yeah?" She answered.

'I see you.'

Turning in a circle, she saw a mass huddled against the side of a tree, eyes looking at her through a dirt covered face, but she would know those eyes anywhere. "Desmond." She whispered his name as she walked over to where he was. Kneeling in the snow, he looked up at her when she did so. "Hey."

"Hey back." He gave her a lopsided smile, but it was hard to see through the facial hair he had. "You're going to get sick out here." His voice was weak, but there was still determination in his eyes.

Not being able to help it, she laughed. "Like you're one to talk. Well, if I get sick, we'll just be sick together." Reaching forward, she rested her palm against his face, and felt the heat that rose from his skin. "I need to get you out of here. You're burning up." Looking around, she saw they there was going to be no easy way back up. "Can you stand?"

Nodding his head, and with her help, he was on his feet. "I don't know how I got down here."

"I can figure a few ways." Looping his arm over her shoulder, she sighed. "You up for the climb?"

"If I tell you yes, would you believe me?" He asked as they took a few steps.

"No." Shaking her head, she looked at the slope. "We need to head up, and I will be right there next to you."

*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*

Desmond looked over at Isabella, still trying to figure out if she was a phantom brought on by his messed up mind, or if she was really there. It was so hard to tell with Ezio, Altair, Connor, and Clay being there as well. They stood off in the distance, watching and sometimes giving him words of encouragement. "Isabella?"

"Yeah?" Her eyes met his, and he watched so many emotions rage in those green depths.

"Please tell me this is real? That I'm not imagining it." He asked keeping eye contact with her, praying that she wasn't going to vanish like she had before. It had been one of his hallucinations.

She gave him a smile, let go of his arm, and stood in front of him. "I'm real, I swear to you I am. Now, we need to get you out of here and to a doctor. After that we'll talk more." Her hands rested on each side of his face, and he wanted nothing more than to take her in his arms and never let her go. But that wasn't going to happen at this time. They needed to get out of that ditch, and out of the damn country.

Giving her a nod, they began to make the trek up the incline. It wasn't really that steep, but with little strength, he was breathing hard before they even made it half way. "I should have just stayed in the truck."

"It isn't parked far from here, so why did you leave it?" She asked as she helped him up part of the hill.

Giving her a puzzled look, Desmond shook his head. "My truck ran out of gas almost a mile from here. I was out further than I thought I was. Took to the ditch when I got to that marker I told you about. I thought about staying on the road, but there were too many cars passing, and I didn't need the law called on me."

Her steps came to a halt. "If that isn't yours then…" Isabella's head shot up. "Oh fucking hell."

"What?" He asked, clearly confused.

"When we pulled up, there was a black truck not a half mile from here. I… I thought it was you, but if you were farther down, then that means they know we're here." She began to curse low. "Desmond, we have to move."

Reaching around, he pulled the gun from the back of his waist band. "Here. You know how to shoot?"

Nodding, she gingerly took the firearm from his hand. "I do, but I don't favor it."

Grabbing onto a small sapling, he leaned against it, trying to get some of his breath back. It was hard to do so when he had so little to begin with. "You're going to need it more than me. I can barely hold the thing without shaking." And it was the truth. He wasn't even sure of he would be able to pull the trigger on the gun, let alone hold it up. "You really think they're up there?"

"I don't know, but I wouldn't hold my breath that they already know I'm here. It wouldn't take a rocket scientist to figure it out. I may have come into the country under my mother's name, but with you escaping from a facility here, then my mother's name popping up on a passenger flight." Her eyes went to the road above. "Damn it all to hell."

Grabbing for another small tree, he pulled himself up the hill some more until he was on equal footing with her. "I am so sorry for dragging you into this. I should have never called you."

Turning to face him, her glare said it all. "Don't you ever say anything like that again, Desmond. I was relieved that you called, and I am still relieved that you're taking breaths. Now, all we have to do is make it to the road, then to the car, and get the hell out of dodge."

"Isabella, maybe I should just let them take me again. Give you enough time to get home. That way I know you're safe, and that…" But before he could finish, she was in his face.

"If that damn idea runs through your head one more time, so help me, I will beat it out of you." Her eyes softened, and he could see tears beginning to form. "I cried for so long because I thought you were dead. I lost my mind when I woke up in that place, and thought you were gone. I'm not going to go through that again. Please don't make me."

Not knowing what else to do, he grabbed her and pulled her to him. "I promise I won't say anything like that again. I'm sorry."

Her head rested on his shoulder as her arms wrapped around his waist, and he could tell she was starting to cry. "I forgive you." She whispered.

All he wanted to do was stay right there and let the world pass them by, but Abstergo wasn't going to let that happen. "We need to get moving."

Pulling back, she nodded and wiped her eyes. "I'll go up first and make sure it's clear. When it is, you can come up."

"I think I can handle…" But with a raised brow from her, and a gun tapping her leg, he hung his head. "Can you at least give me my man card back after this is all said and done?"

Isabella smiled. "Sure thing."

**Hello to everyone! Thanks again for the great reviews. I cannot say that enough! Well, Desmond and Isabella are back together, and they may have a lot of trouble on their hands. Will they make it to the car, and out of danger unscathed? You will just have tune in next chapter and see!**

**Preview of Chapter Five**

Walking into the front door of their small two bedroom apartment, Rebecca looked over at the laptop she had left sitting out on the table. There were soft beeps coming from the thing. It had taken all night to finish running the symbol through the amount of data that was on the terabit hard drive she had for the data they had collected from Desmond's sessions within the Animus.

Shaun was sprawled out on the couch, snores coming from the red-headed man. He had finally gotten some sleep when they got back from dinner, and then worked this morning. She knew he was tired, and like her, when it came to a puzzle, he wouldn't stop until he saw it through to the end.

Taking up a seat in front of the screen, she hit a few keys, and a symbol appeared, but it didn't come from where they were looking. Backtracking where it had come from, she saw it was from her collection of data she had been receiving from Jack at Abstergo. Knowing Shaun was going to want to see this, she quickly called his name.

He woke up with a start. "What?" He asked, voice muffled by the yawn that left him as he sat up.

"You might want to get over here and see this. It found your symbol." She turned back to the computer. None of it made sense to her, but it probably would to him. That was his field of expertise.

Grabbing his glasses from the end table, he shuffled over to the table, still pretty much asleep. "I hope you're not pulling my leg, Rebecca. I could really use some good news right about now."

Pointing to the screen, she hear him suck in a breath. "Think I'm messing with you now?"

"Bloody hell. It's…it's the Observatory. You do know what this means, correct?" He looked at her, eyes wide in wonder, and she shook her head no, because truthfully, she didn't have a damn clue as to what he was going on about. So, letting out a sigh, he began. "In the time of the First Civilization, they had many places all over the world that they would study different things. The Grand Temple was just where they stored all of their collective data.

"Well, in some of these places, they studied different things, and from my research I've learned that the Observatory was a place that with a few drops of blood from someone in a glass cube, they could tell what they were doing at any given time. It was just another form of control." He rummaged through the papers to the left of him until he found the sheet given to him by Tori. "No if you look here, they're not quite the right match, but it is close enough to understand what they mean. The first is Eden, where they came from. The second is about Adam and Even themselves, and the third I would say would be the Observatory. Maybe that was where they were running to. Trying to figure out a way to save the human race."

"Or maybe that was where they were going to hide at, but why would these symbols be coming up in her dreams? I mean, what the hell does she play in all of this?" Rebecca wasn't that hot on having to work with Tori more. They didn't have the best relationship in the world, and that was putting it mildly.

"I wonder something." He began to scan through some of the data, and came across the footage that they had from what Clay had left for them to find. "This is the footage from what Clay gave us. It's Adam and Eve's escape." He hit play and they watched the two make their daring escape from the place that was supposed to be paradise on Earth, if you were a First. "Adam and Eve were the first hybrids, correct?" She nodded. "Now, the reason Desmond was chosen by Juno was because of the high amount of First DNA in his bloodline."

Getting aggravated, she snapped. "Would you just get to the damn point already?"

Shaun snorted and leaned back in his seat. "Well look who's in a bad mood today? We may have just stumbled on the greatest find in our history, and you are getting shitty with me."

Taking a breath, she looked at him. "Sorry, long day, continue."

"Thank you." He went back to the computer, pulling a few more things up. "The vision is one of those traits. A few assassins can use it, denoting that they come from one of those bloodlines, but not all have it to the extent that I have seen only two people have it."

Then it began to click into place. "Are you trying to tell me, and I can't believe that I'm about to say this, that Tori is descended from Eve?"

His nod said it all. "I believe this is what that all means. There was no telling where they were going to go, or what was going through their minds when they left, but it's certain to say that Juno wants the descendant of Adam and the descendant of Eve. With that much First DNA in one place, she might be able to figure out a way to have vessel strong enough to give her life once more. Become whole if you would."

This little puzzle began to take a dark twist. "What are you going to tell her? I mean, half of duo is missing, and like hell Isabella is going to let that vampire near him when he is found. We would have a war on our hands."

That made him laugh. "That would be interesting to watch. A real catfight."

"As much as I would love to see Tori punched in her smug face, we can't let those two anywhere near each other. That would be inviting trouble to our doorstep." She shook her head. "So, would you like to call her and tell her the news?" Holding out the phone, she watching him begin to sweat. "You're not nervous are you?"

Snatching the phone, he dialed Tori's number. She must have picked up because he swallowed hard, and spoke. "It's Shaun. I think I figured your little mystery out."


	5. Chapter 5

Isabella could hear cars as she walked the last few feet to the top of the rise. There had only been one car on the desolate stretch of road, but now it sounded busy. Turning her head, she could see Desmond leaning against a larger tree, his eyes watching her movements. They had made an agreement not to openly get into a firefight if it could be helped, but she would not let them take him once again, or her for that matter. They were going home together, or not at all.

Peering over the road, she could see Vlad leaning against the car just as she had left him. If he hadn't moved, then that meant that Abstergo wasn't there, and she was just imagining it. Waving her hand, she signaled Desmond to come on up, but she wasn't taking any chances. Sliding the gun into the back of her jeans, her coat covered the grip, and made it hard to see.

Her eyes scanned the road, but something felt off. Something that she wasn't seeing. The air was still, like right before a massive storm was about to strike. "Desmond." She whispered. "Can you have a look around? Maybe you see something I'm missing? Something doesn't feel normal."

Once he was up onto the road, his eyes began to look round the area like she asked. "Good news or bad news?" He asked, leaning towards her.

"They're here, aren't they?" She turned to him. He shook his head no, which surprised her. "If they're not here, so what's the bad news?"

"Your friend, Vlad, he's one of them." Desmond whispered that part in her ear, and a chill ran down her spine that had nothing to do with the coldness of the air around.

Vlad, who looked up from his phone, saw her and gave a smile, which he returned a fake one to him. "So what do you propose? The only thing I can think of is kill him, take the car, and get the hell out of here. I can get us back to Moscow, but other than that, you can forget."

"That's about what I've got." He threw his arm over her shoulder. "I can walk across this road, but let's make him think I am worse off that I actually am. If he think there won't be a fight, maybe we can get out of this with our lives intact."

Wrapping her arm around him, they waited until the road was clear to walk across. He was hurt, she knew that, but not as much as he was putting on. As they walked over to the car, she could feel the Russian's eyes on her, and now that she knew that he was working for the enemy, there was no way she was going to let him out of this alive.

"How do you want to do this? Let him know we know, or wait and strike?" He whispered.

The thought never really crossed her mind. The only thing she knew was that they needed to get out of there, and fast. If Vladimir was working for them, then they had to get past him, or get rid of him. "We need to get you in the car first. If they are here, you cannot fight."

"But I can still help." He growled, but she glared at him.

"You are too badly hurt to be of any good right now. Just trust in me, and let me handle this. Please." Isabella had to make him back down by himself. From all she knew of him, he did not go down easily or without a fight.

Snorting, they headed across the street. "You know, if he makes one move to harm you, I will rip his head off before you can draw that gun, alright?" Desmond locked eyes on the Russian, and all she could do was shake her head.

"I know, and I give you full permission, but please don't make the first move." Laying a light kiss on his dirty cheek, they walked together over to the car. "Vlad, can you open the car door? He's hurt pretty bad."

Nodding, the man walked to the back door, and opened it. Desmond got in on his own volition, but not without her seeing the look he had on his face. He was none too thrilled with her doing what she was doing now.

"Isabella, might I have a word with you?" Vlad asked. Nodding, she followed him around to the back of the car. "I fear that our time is drawing to a close, yes?" Arching a brow, she gave him a questionable look. A gun came out from under his jacket, aimed low so that Desmond would not see it out the window. "I have what I set out to get, and I will be paid well for it. Now, we can do this one of two ways. You can get in that car, and be quiet, or I will kill you where you stand, and still take him back to Abstergo. It's your choice."

A twisted smile broke out over her face. "Then you had better kill me, because I won't let you take him again."

Shrugging, he met her eye. "Have it your way." And he pulled the trigger, sending her to the ground.

*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*

Walking into the front door of their small two bedroom apartment, Rebecca looked over at the laptop she had left sitting out on the table. There were soft beeps coming from the thing. It had taken all night to finish running the symbol through the amount of data that was on the terabit hard drive she had for the data they had collected from Desmond's sessions within the Animus.

Shaun was sprawled out on the couch, snores coming from the red-headed man. He had finally gotten some sleep when they got back from dinner, and then worked this morning. She knew he was tired, and like her, when it came to a puzzle, he wouldn't stop until he saw it through to the end.

Taking up a seat in front of the screen, she hit a few keys, and a symbol appeared, but it didn't come from where they were looking. Backtracking where it had come from, she saw it was from her collection of data she had been receiving from Jack at Abstergo. Knowing Shaun was going to want to see this, she quickly called his name.

He woke up with a start. "What?" He asked, voice muffled by the yawn that left him as he sat up.

"You might want to get over here and see this. It found your symbol." She turned back to the computer. None of it made sense to her, but it probably would to him. That was his field of expertise.

Grabbing his glasses from the end table, he shuffled over to the table, still pretty much asleep. "I hope you're not pulling my leg, Rebecca. I could really use some good news right about now."

Pointing to the screen, she hear him suck in a breath. "Think I'm messing with you now?"

"Bloody hell. It's…it's the Observatory. You do know what this means, correct?" He looked at her, eyes wide in wonder, and she shook her head no, because truthfully, she didn't have a damn clue as to what he was going on about. So, letting out a sigh, he began. "In the time of the First Civilization, they had many places all over the world that they would study different things. The Grand Temple was just where they stored all of their collective data.

"Well, in some of these places, they studied different things, and from my research I've learned that the Observatory was a place that with a few drops of blood from someone in a glass cube, they could tell what they were doing at any given time. It was just another form of control." He rummaged through the papers to the left of him until he found the sheet given to him by Tori. "No if you look here, they're not quite the right match, but it is close enough to understand what they mean. The first is Eden, where they came from. The second is about Adam and Even themselves, and the third I would say would be the Observatory. Maybe that was where they were running to. Trying to figure out a way to save the human race."

"Or maybe that was where they were going to hide at, but why would these symbols be coming up in her dreams? I mean, what the hell does she play in all of this?" Rebecca wasn't that hot on having to work with Tori more. They didn't have the best relationship in the world, and that was putting it mildly.

"I wonder something." He began to scan through some of the data, and came across the footage that they had from what Clay had left for them to find. "This is the footage from what Clay gave us. It's Adam and Eve's escape." He hit play and they watched the two make their daring escape from the place that was supposed to be paradise on Earth, if you were a First. "Adam and Eve were the first hybrids, correct?" She nodded. "Now, the reason Desmond was chosen by Juno was because of the high amount of First DNA in his bloodline."

Getting aggravated, she snapped. "Would you just get to the damn point already?"

Shaun snorted and leaned back in his seat. "Well look who's in a bad mood today? We may have just stumbled on the greatest find in our history, and you are getting shitty with me."

Taking a breath, she looked at him. "Sorry, long day, continue."

"Thank you." He went back to the computer, pulling a few more things up. "The vision is one of those traits. A few assassins can use it, denoting that they come from one of those bloodlines, but not all have it to the extent that I have seen only two people have it."

Then it began to click into place. "Are you trying to tell me, and I can't believe that I'm about to say this, that Tori is descended from Eve?"

His nod said it all. "I believe this is what that all means. There was no telling where they were going to go, or what was going through their minds when they left, but it's certain to say that Juno wants the descendant of Adam and the descendant of Eve. With that much First DNA in one place, she might be able to figure out a way to have vessel strong enough to give her life once more. Become whole if you would."

This little puzzle began to take a dark twist. "What are you going to tell her? I mean, half of duo is missing, and like hell Isabella is going to let that vampire near him when he is found. We would have a war on our hands."

That made him laugh. "That would be interesting to watch. A real catfight."

"As much as I would love to see Tori punched in her smug face, we can't let those two anywhere near each other. That would be inviting trouble to our doorstep." She shook her head. "So, would you like to call her and tell her the news?" Holding out the phone, she watching him begin to sweat. "You're not nervous are you?"

Snatching the phone, he dialed Tori's number. She must have picked up because he swallowed hard, and spoke. "It's Shaun. I think I figured your little mystery out."

*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*

As soon as he heard the gun go off, Desmond turning in his seat to see Isabella fall. "Isabella!" He yelled her name, and tried to scramble out of the car, but came face to face with the business end of a Ruger MKIII. The black .22 caused him to go cross-eyed for moment before they refocused on the man in front of him.

"My suggestion to you, Desmond, is to move back into the car, and sit quietly. I have been told I can put at least one more hole in you to return you to Abstergo." Vlad grinned, and pushed the gun into his forehead.

"I going to kill you, you know that right?" Desmond growled. "I'm going to enjoy making you suffer, and smile when I finally watch the last breath roll from your body." He was not going to let this man get away with this.

"I don't see that happening. You are wounded, and can barely handle yourself. I, on the other hand, have nothing wrong with me." The Russian snorted. "Get in the car before I must force you back into it."

Desmond was not above fighting him. Isabella was laying on the ground behind the car, most likely bleeding out, and he couldn't get to her. "I wanna see you try." And kicking forward with everything he had, he caught the man in the knee.

A sickening crunch was heard before Vladimir screamed. Twisting the best he could in the confines of the small back seat, his next kick landed square middle of the man's chest. He was going to kill this man, and enjoy every blood soaked minute of it.

But a shot rang out before he could land another blow, causing the side of Vlad head to explode in a spray of brain, blood, bone, and bits of flesh. The man fell over, dark eyes staring vacantly into the void. "Next time, make it a head shot if you want to kill someone." He heard Isabella growl from the rear of the car.

Turning, he saw her walk over, gun in hand. "You're okay?" Desmond asked, not quite believing what he was seeing. "How?"

Unzipping her jacket, he saw that she was wearing her old breastplate. She gave it a knock. "I have a layer of Kevlar under this thing. Like hell I was coming into this unprepared. Guns are too damn abundant in this time. I think I prefer Ezio's time. At least then you could see the weapon."

Getting out of the car, he wrapped his arms around her. "I thought I lost you again."

Her arms came around his waist. "Let's get out of here, get you to a doctor, and find a way to get the hell back to the states. I don't know if he was working with anyone else, but Abstergo is bound to know where we are now."

They let go of each other. "What about him?" Desmond asked looking down at the other man's body.

"Leave him. Let the vultures feed on his miserable hide." Isabella growled, and walked around to the other side of the car.

Once they were in, she took off, heading in a direction he knew. It was the way he had come. "What's the game plan to get us out of here? You were always better at coming up with plans than me. The last one I did, we ended up shipwrecked and wet."

That made her laugh. "Hey, that wasn't a bad time. Got us together didn't?" He had to admit she was right. "But to tell the truth, I have no clue. I mean, you need meds to get rid of that infection, and no offence, a shower would be your best friend."

"Are you saying I smell?" He knew he did. Being on the run for a week and a half now without a shower, crawling through the woods, and God only knows what would do that to someone.

She spared him a glance. "Have you smelled yourself lately? You smell like the leftovers from a frat party that someone hid for a few months." Her smile told him she was only playing with him, and he took it.

"Oh, kind of like when we were in Italy. You know, when we were lucky enough to bath once a week." He grinned and leaned back in the seat, feeling sleep trying to claim him, but he was going to fight it the best he could.

Laughing, she turned down a street and guided the car back towards Moscow. "Yeah, something like that." Reaching over, she took his hand. "I swear we'll get out of this, and I mean that."

He knew she would keep her word. "I know." A yawn escaped him, and he let his eyes close. "I think I'm going to take a nap. That cool with you?"

She gave his hand a squeeze and released. "I think you earned it. I'll wake you when we get to a hotel or something."

Giving a small nod, he let oblivion claim him, and for once in a long time, he didn't have to worry about Abstergo or never waking up to another day.

*/*/*/*/*/*/*

William looked around at the cars that passed on their way through their morning commutes. He had arrived in Chicago ahead of everyone in hopes to figure the best way to go about what they had to do. It had not been easy with the added security that was running around the city, but it would be worth it in the end. They would have someone, maybe, that could tell them what they needed to know. But the mission was not going to be a walk in the park.

Damien and Seth Bellucci were to arrive around dusk, and Tori Bettlely was to show up in only a few hours. He had managed to find another person that could help and that knew the city better than most. They were to meet in a small café in Evanston in an hour.

Heading towards the L platform, he watched the people on the streets and the snow fall lazily down around him. It had been several years since his last visit to the city, and from what he had seen so far, it hadn't changed at all. The bright lights, over-abundance of cars, and the noise that made the city its own. But what only the truly observant and the people who called this place home saw was the crime, corruption, and the over-crowding. And people asked why he live off the grid.

Shaking the thoughts from his head, he found the stairs that would take him to the L and then to Evanston. It was not the most fun way to travel, but in the city, ti was the only way to go, unless you found a cab, and paid a large amount of money to get where you wanted to go.

A two switches and a four block walk later, William found the place he had been looking for. Entering, he scanned the room, and found the woman he was waiting for. Morgana Marshall's pale skin stood out against the unruly black curly hair that topped her head. Book in hand, she sipped on something as she read.

Walking up to her, he cleared his throat to get her attention. Looking up, her pale green eyes watched him carefully. "You must be William. A pleasure to meet you in person." She gesture to the chair in front of her. "Please, have a seat." He did as he was asked, and she sat her book off to the side. "Now, you said on the phone you needed some help in catching someone?"

He nodded. "Yes, there will be a man here either today or tomorrow by the name of Olivier Garneau. I was told you could help figure out the best way for us to get out without drawing too much attention."

Taking another sip of her drink, she nodded. "Of course. Now, I will need to know where you wanting to catch him at, and when to tell you the best way out of the city. You probably don't want to linger long." Pushing her glasses up the bridge of her nose, she smiled towards him.

"That we don't." He knew of her reputation as an informant for the Brotherhood, and knew that she would not betray them.

She gave a small nod. "I just need to know when you plan to do this, and where. That way I can get you the information."

"It will be tomorrow night, and the hotel he will be at is The Peninsula Chicago." The bad thing was, he didn't even know exactly where it was, and William knew better than to try and walk around the city. He would get lost in a heartbeat.

"My, he sure has expensive tastes. That place runs a few hundred a night." Morgana shook her head, and pulled a small notepad from her purse. "Here. Meet me here tomorrow morning. I can give you all the details you'll need then. I would get you a boat, but with the temperatures being as low as they have been, you wouldn't want to go out on that lake if you didn't have to."

She handed him the slip of paper and stood. He followed her towards the door. "Thank you Morgana."

"Anything to help you guys out." She wrapped a scarf around her lower face, and headed down the street, leaving him standing there.

Pulling out the paper she gave him, he looked at the place. It was the lobby of the Felix Hotel, not far from where they were to grab Olivier.

**Hey sorry about the delay! I had a few things going on here in the old homestead. My dogs decided to take off on me for two days, and it was right before a snow storm. But they are home now, and I guess they have decided the door is the enemy now, because they don't go near it anymore. Finally, lesson learned. **

**The hotel names in Chicago are real. My best friend lived there, and she's been helping me with names and places. That is who Morgana Marshall is modeled after. She is not a main character, so you really won't have to worry about her. Now, on to the preview.**

**Preview of Chapter Six**

"Damn Isabella! Don't you have any type of bedside manner?!" Desmond yelled as he cringed as Isabella cleaned the wound on his arm.

She snorted as she began to clean it some more. "Oh would you shut up. Look, I'm doing the best I can here, you whiny ass. I only know simple first aid, and since we can't go to a hospital, you're just going to have to deal with this for now."

Yelling once more, he grabbed a pillow from the bed, and shoved a corner of it into his mouth, trying to keep the profanities he wanted to hurl at her inside for now. She had gone out of her way to get him the things that he needed, like antibiotics, bandages, and fresh clothes. The clothes were easy and you could get them anywhere, but from what she had said, there was a pharmacy a few miles away that was missing a few different types of antibiotics.

"Des, I'm sorry alright. I really am trying my best." Her voice was soft, and pulling the pillow from his mouth, he cringed when she ran some cool water over it.

He knew he shouldn't be snapping at her, and at that moment he felt bad for what he had said. So, with a sigh, he apologized. "I know, and I shouldn't be snapping at you. I don't make the greatest patient do I?"

Hearing her chuckle, he knew that she wasn't taking it too badly. "No, not really. I guess I would make a really shitty nurse. Guess that's why I never went for that."

Trying to think of anything to take his mind off of what she was doing, he began to ask her things. "So, since I missed a year, what happened in that time frame?"

Her hands stilled on his arm for a moment, then the cleaning continued. "Well, there's about a month I don't really remember a lot of. I tried to hide from the world, and forget everything that happened. I thought I had imagined it all for a while there, until I found out I was pregnant. Even then, it was hard not to think about that time, and still be able to function.

"Your dad and the others held a memorial for you, but I didn't go. My mom and dad thought I was not well enough, and truthfully, I wasn't. I was a mess, but the one thing that really pulled me out of that was hearing Collin's heartbeat for the first time. That right there told me that I had another life, besides mine, that I had to worry about." Her smile said it all. Their son was her world, and he didn't blame her. He knew nothing about him up until four days ago, and already he knew he wanted to be there for him.

"So tell me about him. All you said was he has my hair and eyes but your complexion. Hell, I don't even know his full name." He watched her grab for the gauze and begin to wrap it around the wound.

"After I'm done here, I'll show you a picture. I don't go anywhere without one." She smiled. "But his full name is Collin Ezio Miles. Your dad demanded a DNA test be done, because he didn't believe me when I said Collin was yours. Instead, I let them hook me to the Animus and showed them my memories. That changed their minds real fast. Then, when I was able, I wiped the floor with my dad, Seth, Tori, your dad, and another guy whose name escapes me, at once. Yeah, that was a fun day. I think I bruised their egos, because before I left, I wasn't that good of an assassin. I mean, I excelled at parkour, but the rest was, well, sub-par." Putting a piece of medical tape at the end, she stood. "There, all done."

Sitting up, he moved his arm around a bit. The area was still sore, but he knew it was going to be like that for some time. "Thanks, and I'm sorry I missed so much."

"I know it wasn't your fault." She threw the towel into the bathroom, and the other things into the trash. "I was never mad at you. Hell, I thought I lost you forever, until my brother told me about the file they had found with your message in it. Oh I could have killed him for hiding it from me."

Grabbing his shirt, Desmond slipped it on, and stood. "Well, what do we do from here?"

Shrugging, Isabella took a seat in one of the chairs. "Don't know. I mean, we can try and get out of here through the airport. I have Seth's passport. You can claim to be him, but the hair color is wrong, and so is the eye color." Picking up a small bag of chips, she opened them and popped one in her mouth. "My return flight is tomorrow. Mom only gave me two days to find you, grab you and get back."

"Did you think you were going to do it in that amount of time?" Russia was a big country, and he could have been anywhere when she showed up.

"I really didn't know, but I was going to give it my best. I had to try at least. I mean, you had a phone, and I did what I was going to do, and that was call you and find out where you were. That saved me time from having to try and track you down." She held out the bag, he took a few chips. "I'm glad it worked and I found you, but now the problem is trying to get you on the plane."

He didn't know either. The idea of using Seth's passport was a good one, but they would have to dye his hair, and tell everyone that his eyes were brown because of contacts. "What about dying my hair red? I mean, we can tell them that I am wearing colored contacts."

She shook her head. "Problem there. It's really hard to get dark brown hair like yours to a copper red like Seth's. I mean, you and he have the same build. The lie about the contacts, sure, but we could also say you died your hair. It could work, but the law will be called if this goes south."

"We're just going to have to chance it. We have to get out of this country and back to the states." He knew it was going to be a long shot, but it was something that they were going to have to try.

"If you're up for it." She handed him the chips, and sighed. "I get you a ticket and pray for the best."

And that was what he was going to do. If they made it out of this with their lives, he was going to make sure that he never left her side again. Her and their son's. He was not going to be like his father. Collin would have the choice of being an assassin, or not. Either way was fine with him.

So, after the flight had been booked and the phone calls made, she held out a photo. "Here." She said. "It's a picture I took of Collin a few days ago. I thought I was the funniest thing when I put him in a bouncy seat for the first time. He had a blast and just laughed every time something moved."

Reaching out, he took the photo in his hands and looked at the little boy that was his, and if he didn't know any better, he would have sworn he was looking at a baby picture of himself. "You weren't kidding. He really does look like me."

Laughing, she moved his arm, and took a seat on his lap. "You have no idea." Her smile grew when he wrapped his arms around her. "Welcome back Desmond." And leaning down, she kissed him. He knew he was home.


	6. Chapter 6

Tori stepped from the car and shivered. She hated the cold, the snow, the wind that froze the snot right inside her nose, and she really hated working in said weather. That was when at all possible, she was down in the southern part of the world, trying to not wear so many layers, and could feel her fingers and toes at all times. Even as a child, she hated the white death, and that was that.

Shouldering the small bag that she carried at all times, her destination was laid out in front of her. Maneuvering around the people that stood like statues, yelling things into the cell phones that she thought they had permanently attached to their heads, she could see William sitting on a bench near a frozen fountain, head bent down, reading the paper.

Taking a seat next to him, she rubbed her hands together, trying to rid the chill from them with no avail. "You couldn't have met in a warmer place, like a restaurant, or a hotel lobby?" Snow began to fall around them, and out of a reaction, she sighed, pulling her hood tighter around her face.

Looking up, William had a ghost of a smile on his face. "You seem, not yourself. You're actually irritated."

Her eyes narrowed at the master of their group. "Yeah, you could say that. I was on my way to New Orleans when you called to divert me here to help with a snatch and grab. It had better be worth it."

That must have set something off in him, because his eyes became mere slits in his face. "You will do as you are commanded. You are not the grandmaster, so you do not get to choose where you go. I tell you what you are to do and when you are to do it. Got that?"

She had never seen him this pissed before. "Got it." Giving her normal emotionless answer, Tori tucked her hands into her pockets. "Now what are we here for?"

Pointing to the hotel across the street, he spoke. "Our target is in there. His name is Olivier Garneau, and he is the COO of Abstergo Entertainment in Montreal. He has flown down here for a shareholder's meeting and now would be the best time to grab him. That's why you're here."

Looking around, she let the sixth sense take over and the crowd lit up in a variety of colors. Blue on a few, white on most, but a few men that stood across the street were red hued denoting them as her enemy and ones they would have to watch out for.

"Three men to the left of the door. The guard, the valet, and the bellhop are it. Those are the only ones I see, but knowing the Templars, there are more around that I can't see." Then the realization dawned on her. "You didn't bring me here because I can fight. You brought me because I can see things that you or the others can't." And that in itself was kind of hurtful.

There was only a nod from William as she stood and folded the paper under his arm. "You're the only one at this time that can find the enemies that we can't see."

The only other person on the planet would be Desmond, but no one knew where he was at that time. No one, save for the people across the street that were hell bent on wiping out everyone like her. "So what is our course of action? Are we going to study his movements, and then grab him, or will there be others joining us?"

He motioned her to follow and so she did. "I have two others coming and a friend figuring out the best way out of the city undetected. I have to meet up with her tomorrow morning." A ringing came from his pocket. Pulling out the phone, he looked at the screen. "Hold on a minute, I have to take this."

She stood there, watching the snow begin to fall on the streets of the Windy City. Now, she couldn't help but admit that it was pretty in a way, but the cold was what threw her from the beauty. Christmas carols could be heard playing from stores around them, and she tried to tone them out. It wasn't that she disliked the holiday, it just didn't hold good memories for her.

William's voice raised a bit, and she turned her attention back to him. "Yeah, I hear you. Look, if you need anything, don't hesitate to call, Isabella. I know you'll do the right thing." And he hung up the phone.

Tori knew why the man dealt with her. It was because of his grandson. No one had much interaction with Isabella since she went completely off the deep end last year. She wouldn't admit it, but since what happened to her did happen, the girl was a better assassin, and frankly, it worried her to no end. Give a nut job the ability to completely fuck another person's life up. Yeah, that was not the smartest thing she had ever heard of.

"Problems on the home front?" She asked as he came back to her side, his hand running worry lines through the thick gray hair that topped his head.

"Isabella found Desmond." And with that, he walked off, leaving her to follow if she so chose. But this was something that she wanted to know about.

Catching up with him was easy. "Now, can you tell me about that? How did she find him when no one else had been able to?"

His eyes looked over at her, and then back to the walkways ahead. "A few days ago Desmond called me. Told me that he had managed to escape, and asked for her number. He wouldn't tell me where he was, but somehow she got it from him, and of course, with the help if her mother, managed to get to him. Now, they are on their way back and if everything goes right, which knowing their track record it won't, they will be back in the states tomorrow afternoon."

"You don't have much faith in them getting back here, do you?" She asked as she stepped over a small pile of snow, and continued on with him down the sidewalk, the cold all but forgotten, until a gust blew at the edges of her coat, going right through the jeans she had on.

He shook his head. "Not that much, no. Desmond was always one that could get himself into all kinds of trouble, and it seems to follow him like a shadow. Isabella, from what I've heard from her family is almost the same way." He pulled her to a stop as a car passed, spraying slush up onto the sideway in front of them, narrowly missing them both. "If they make it back, without attracting attention from Abstergo, and also without a large body count, I will be amazed."

She had seen pieces of the girl's memories from the past, and as much as she didn't want to admit it she had become a force to be reckoned with, as did Desmond. With the two of them together, she didn't doubt that if cornered, the body count would be high, but even she wasn't sure if they would make it out alive.

Snorting, Tori looked at the Desmond's father. "You do know that what she did was kind of stupid, right?" It was beyond stupid. It was plain out retard.

"I know that, and you know that, but don't even try to tell her that. Honestly, I'm thankful that she went to retrieve my son, but for her to do it alone was beyond dumb." She heard him exhale. "But enough of that. We have a job to do, and not much time to plan. All we have to do is wait for Damien and his son before we can begin."

And that was when she lost her composure. "What?!" She screeched. "Seth is going to be here?" After rubbing his ear, William nodded. "You do know that putting us in the same area, hell, let alone the same state is dangerous on its own, correct?"

A smile lifted the edges of his lips. "Tori, I know you will so the right thing when it comes time. I believe that you value the mission more than you will want to kill Seth. Now, if it's going to be a problem, I can have you reassigned. I hear Rebecca and Shaun need a lookout up in Canada."

Just the thought of going deeper into the frozen north was enough to make her want to scream. "No, I will be fine. Just do not stick him with me, or I will kill him for sure."

*/*/*/*/*/*/*

"Damn Isabella! Don't you have any type of bedside manner?!" Desmond yelled as he cringed as Isabella cleaned the wound on his arm.

She snorted as she began to clean it some more. "Oh would you shut up. Look, I'm doing the best I can here, you whiny ass. I only know simple first aid, and since we can't go to a hospital, you're just going to have to deal with this for now."

Yelling once more, he grabbed a pillow from the bed, and shoved a corner of it into his mouth, trying to keep the profanities he wanted to hurl at her inside for now. She had gone out of her way to get him the things that he needed, like antibiotics, bandages, and fresh clothes. The clothes were easy and you could get them anywhere, but from what she had said, there was a pharmacy a few miles away that was missing a few different types of antibiotics.

"Des, I'm sorry alright. I really am trying my best." Her voice was soft, and pulling the pillow from his mouth, he cringed when she ran some cool water over it.

He knew he shouldn't be snapping at her, and at that moment he felt bad for what he had said. So, with a sigh, he apologized. "I know, and I shouldn't be snapping at you. I don't make the greatest patient do I?"

Hearing her chuckle, he knew that she wasn't taking it too badly. "No, not really. I guess I would make a really shitty nurse. Guess that's why I never went for that."

Trying to think of anything to take his mind off of what she was doing, he began to ask her things. "So, since I missed a year, what happened in that time frame?"

Her hands stilled on his arm for a moment, then the cleaning continued. "Well, there's about a month I don't really remember a lot of. I tried to hide from the world, and forget everything that happened. I thought I had imagined it all for a while there, until I found out I was pregnant. Even then, it was hard not to think about that time, and still be able to function.

"Your dad and the others held a memorial for you, but I didn't go. My mom and dad thought I was not well enough, and truthfully, I wasn't. I was a mess, but the one thing that really pulled me out of that was hearing Collin's heartbeat for the first time. That right there told me that I had another life, besides mine, that I had to worry about." Her smile said it all. Their son was her world, and he didn't blame her. He knew nothing about him up until four days ago, and already he knew he wanted to be there for him.

"So tell me about him. All you said was he has my hair and eyes but your complexion. Hell, I don't even know his full name." He watched her grab for the gauze and begin to wrap it around the wound.

"After I'm done here, I'll show you a picture. I don't go anywhere without one." She smiled. "But his full name is Collin Ezio Miles. Your dad demanded a DNA test be done, because he didn't believe me when I said Collin was yours. Instead, I let them hook me to the Animus and showed them my memories. That changed their minds real fast. Then, when I was able, I wiped the floor with my dad, Seth, Tori, your dad, and another guy whose name escapes me, at once. Yeah, that was a fun day. I think I bruised their egos, because before I left, I wasn't that good of an assassin. I mean, I excelled at parkour, but the rest was, well, sub-par." Putting a piece of medical tape at the end, she stood. "There, all done."

Sitting up, he moved his arm around a bit. The area was still sore, but he knew it was going to be like that for some time. "Thanks, and I'm sorry I missed so much."

"I know it wasn't your fault." She threw the towel into the bathroom, and the other things into the trash. "I was never mad at you. Hell, I thought I lost you forever, until my brother told me about the file they had found with your message in it. Oh I could have killed him for hiding it from me."

Grabbing his shirt, Desmond slipped it on, and stood. "Well, what do we do from here?"

Shrugging, Isabella took a seat in one of the chairs. "Don't know. I mean, we can try and get out of here through the airport. I have Seth's passport. You can claim to be him, but the hair color is wrong, and so is the eye color." Picking up a small bag of chips, she opened them and popped one in her mouth. "My return flight is tomorrow. Mom only gave me two days to find you, grab you and get back."

"Did you think you were going to do it in that amount of time?" Russia was a big country, and he could have been anywhere when she showed up.

"I really didn't know, but I was going to give it my best. I had to try at least. I mean, you had a phone, and I did what I was going to do, and that was call you and find out where you were. That saved me time from having to try and track you down." She held out the bag, he took a few chips. "I'm glad it worked and I found you, but now the problem is trying to get you on the plane."

He didn't know either. The idea of using Seth's passport was a good one, but they would have to dye his hair, and tell everyone that his eyes were brown because of contacts. "What about dying my hair red? I mean, we can tell them that I am wearing colored contacts."

She shook her head. "Problem there. It's really hard to get dark brown hair like yours to a copper red like Seth's. I mean, you and he have the same build. The lie about the contacts, sure, but we could also say you died your hair. It could work, but the law will be called if this goes south."

"We're just going to have to chance it. We have to get out of this country and back to the states." He knew it was going to be a long shot, but it was something that they were going to have to try.

"If you're up for it." She handed him the chips, and sighed. "I get you a ticket and pray for the best."

And that was what he was going to do. If they made it out of this with their lives, he was going to make sure that he never left her side again. Her and their son's. He was not going to be like his father. Collin would have the choice of being an assassin, or not. Either way was fine with him.

So, after the flight had been booked and the phone calls made, she held out a photo. "Here." She said. "It's a picture I took of Collin a few days ago. I thought I was the funniest thing when I put him in a bouncy seat for the first time. He had a blast and just laughed every time something moved."

Reaching out, he took the photo in his hands and looked at the little boy that was his, and if he didn't know any better, he would have sworn he was looking at a baby picture of himself. "You weren't kidding. He really does look like me."

Laughing, she moved his arm, and took a seat on his lap. "You have no idea." Her smile grew when he wrapped his arms around her. "Welcome back Desmond." And leaning down, she kissed him. He knew he was home.

*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*

Shaun laid in his bed, ideas running around in his head as he thought back on the day that had just transpired. Finding out Tori was most likely the descendent of Eve was something he was not prepared to find, but that was not even the tip of the iceberg. It was the fact that he was finding out things that had been buried in the sands of time that had his mind racing. He was always a fan of puzzles and conspiracy theories, so for the chance to uncover something far older, and possibly more sinister than that of the Templars, sent his blood racing, and his mind doing calculations.

Not being able to stand it any longer, he grabbed his glasses from the nightstand, and wandered into the living room. Something was itching at the back of his brain, and he had to figure it out before he went completely mad. It was the Templar hunt all over again, but this time he knew to be careful as to how far he dug, and not to leave a trace of him being in that database.

Becca's laptop sat on the table, small white light blinking slowly, letting him know that it was just asleep. He had to figure out the puzzle, the key to what all of this meant. He remembered having a chat with Desmond shortly after he awoke from his coma about what had conspired in the Temple of Juno under the Coliseum. They talked about what she had said, and what she had told him he must do. Then, Juno decided to try and end his life before he had finished what he was to do.

The daughter of Eve had been found, and now was the time the end of the tale was to unfold. Together they were to bring back the Ones Who Came Before, the First Civilization, the slavers of the human race. Could they allow that to happen? That weighted heavy on him, for he was the one that found the truth. He was the one that had placed the pieces in place.

It was driving him mad to no end, thinking about the puzzle that was in his head. At least there was nothing to worry back Desmond and Tori getting together. He wasn't even sure that she liked men, or people in general, and he was pretty sure Desmond was not going to leave Isabella once he came back. He had seen how he was through her memories.

Letting his head roll back, he stared at the ceiling, and sighed. He knew he was missing something, but it was escaping him. Something so small, but it was going to have a large impact on all that were involved. He wasn't sure what it was, but he knew it was only a matter of time until all of that came into the light, and fucked them all once more.

**Hello once more! As you can see, I did not post a preview of the next chapter. Let's see how it rolls for a little bit. If you guys want me to bring them back, let me know, but they will be shortened. See ya later.**


	7. Chapter 7

Jack Winslow's eyes darted around the room, feeling that there was someone, besides the cameras, that was watching him. The hacking, the spying, it was beginning to weigh on him, and causing him to think people were out to get him at every turn. Going through the memories of Edward Kenway was not helping matters either. The man had more people trying to kill him on any given day than there were people in the small town he came from. The whole English and Spanish armadas wanted his head, and that didn't include some on the smaller countries as well.

Setting the Animus visor on its holder, he sighed, rubbing his tired and most likely bloodshot eyes. The particular session had been grueling to say the least. With the death of Edward Thatch, aka Blackbeard, and the discovery of the ship that carried Roberts, Edward's nerves had been on the fray, and in turn, along with his. If the pay wasn't as good as it was, he would have left a long time ago, but bills needed to be paid, and his car needed work, so he stayed where he was, trying his damnedest to stay under the radar. Do what he was told by the people of Abstergo Entertainment, and try and get the information he needed to get for the Assassins. Being a secret agent was not something that he ever wanted to do again after this was all said and done.

'Alright little mole, time to get back to work. People are depending on that shit.' He heard John cackle in his ear. The man beginning to be put on that list of the things that annoyed him. Up there with mosquitos and that buzzing sound you get in your ear every once in a while.

"If you're so good at this, why don't you do it?" Jack mumbled into the mic. He was so tired of the man always telling him what to do and when to do it. If he wanted that, he would have stayed at home with his mother. Not that he didn't love his mother, but being an only child, she was a bit on the protective side.

'Who do you think is covering your ass while you gather the Intel that's needed? Me, that's who. I can't be two places at once, and covering my ass from both sides. I'm good, but not that good. Now, just do as I tell you to do, and you'll have a life to go home to once this is over. If not, well, let's not think about that at this particular time.'

And the man had him there. He had heard the rumors of what Abstergo would do to him if they so much as thought he was a traitor to their company. He wouldn't live past sunrise, and frankly, he liked his life. "Fine. Where do you need me to go next?"

'That's the spirit! I knew I could count on you.'

"I'm only doing this because I really have no choice." Grumbling, he stood and picked up his tablet. It was the only tool he had, and if anyone else got ahold of it, he was as good as dead. It had all the data he had collected on it.

'I'm glad you're finally seeing things for what they are.'

He was getting the sneaking suspicion the man was up to something else, but wasn't about to question it. One wrong word, and he knew John would blow the whistle, blame him for everything, and Jack knew his death would look like an accident. "Just tell me what to do." Yeah, he really should have never taken this job.

'I need you to hack into the security feed here. They changed something and now I can't get in.'

Rolling his eyes, he headed to where he was told to go. It was the same song and dance. Once he was done, John would instruct him to go to the lobby, meet with Rebecca, who would ferret the information out as a courier. It was all the same, but for some reason, they had not been caught, yet. It was only going to be a matter of time.

*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*

The Grand Temple was quiet, not a sound could be heard through cavernous place, save for a few stones falling from their places from around the ceiling beams, and the crevices. The ancient structure was crumbling down, and there wasn't a soul on earth that could stop it, but who would? The temple was a place of evil intent by one woman from a race that wanted nothing more than to enslave the human population once more.

But something moved in the shadows. It wasn't like a person, or animal. It was the shadows of the past coming back. The long forgotten history of the humans that everyone had forgot, save a few, and she knew she was going to get her revenge. Time was her friend, and she could wait for as long as she needed, but lacked a few things to complete her ascension back to her rightful place.

Juno stood on the precipice of change, and it would be in her favor. She had what she needed. Enough of Desmond's spark was recovered for her to start her plan into motion, but one thing was missing. Her vessel. She would need a body to carry her essence. For her to blend in, and to begin her complete domination of the descendants that laid the groundwork that wiped out her people so long ago.

"Soon." She whispered into the stillness of the air, as she looked on over the empty place that had held her for so long. "So very soon."

*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*

Splashing water on his face, Desmond looked into the mirror, watching the water droplets fall from his shaven face. The skin was pulled taunt over his cheekbones, signifying how much weight he had lost since his time with Abstergo. Finally being free was something new altogether, and granted, he was grateful to be out, but he knew with him being in captivity, it had stopped them from going after the people that he loved.

Grabbing the towel from the rack to his right, he turned from the mirror and dried his face. He had been woken up by a nightmare, and with his nerves jumping, he knew there was no more rest for him. It was the same song and dance. The nightmares would come only a short time after he fell asleep, causing his pulse to race, and his heart to beat furiously in his chest, trying desperately to escape the confines of his ribcage.

Taking a seat in one of the chairs, he watched Isabella sleep on, unaware of the turmoil that was going on in him right now. Dropping his head into his hands, his screwed his eyes shut and hissed as he felt the familiar pain of a headache coming on. It wasn't the first time he felt it. They were frequent, and he knew it was something that he was going to have to live with until it was determined what was causing them.

"You should see a doctor." Ezio's heavily Italian accented voice came from beside him, and Desmond bit back a groan.

"Go away." He mumbled, trying his damnedest to not say it loud enough to wake her up.

"What? Don't want Isabella hearing you talking to yourself?" Clay was the next voice to be heard. The man was completely mad, but he was that way before he died at the hands of himself. "Don't want your girlfriend to know she's shacked up with a lunatic?" The blonde man cackled in his maddened state.

Raising his head, he saw all four of them around the room, looking at him. Altair stood near the door, leaned against the wall, head down, but watching him carefully from under the deep hood. Connor sat on the floor, opposite of the ancient assassin, one leg brought to his chest and the other straight ahead. Ezio was beside him in the vacant chair, hood down like normal, his eyes taking in everything in the room, and Clay sat on the dresser, hunched over, arms draped on his bent legs, eyes directly on him.

"So, have you thought of your plan to leave this place?" Connor asked as he picked some dirt out from under his nail. Cocking a brow, Desmond just stared at him. "What? You need to think of something better than trying to use her brother's passport."

"Would you all just go away? My head is already killing me, and with you guys being here, it makes it worse. I really don't want to listen to your griping right now." He gave his coldest glare, but it come off more of a grimace.

Altair, who had been quiet so far, pushed off the wall and walked over to him. "Like it or not, you are stuck with us until you either, one, get your mind in order and figure out a way out of your current condition, or two, die. It's your choice.

Desmond just stared at him like he had two heads. Finally coming back to his senses, he snorted. "You sure know how to make a guy feel better. You could at least try and sugar coat bad news every once in a while." He muttered, pushing past the man as he stood.

"You should know better than all of them here that I do not 'sugar coat' anything. I will tell you exactly what you need to hear, and when you need to hear it." The Syrian growled. "You cannot bury your head, and hope this all goes away. We're not going anywhere."

Turning sharply, he got in Altair's face. "I'm not burying my head, as you call it. I'm trying to figure out how to get back to the States and save everyone. I've unleashed Juno onto the world, Abstergo is trying to fry my brain, and the whole world is going down the shitter. The bad thing is, two of them are my fault." He felt his voice rising, but he was pissed. It was one of the side effects of his anger.

"Desmond."

His head whipped around to see Isabella sitting up in bed, watching him with wide eyes. Shit, shit, and just to top it off, damn. He hung his head, but felt the other four leave. It was kind of like someone had turned off the vice that had been put on his brain. "How much did you hear?" He asked quietly, unable to meet her eyes.

"You arguing with yourself." He heard the sheets rustle, and the sound of her feet touching the floor. "You can talk to me." Lifting his head up, she made him focus at her. Her eyes held nothing but concern for him. Not pity as he had seen in so many eyes before.

"Where do I begin?" He asked falling back onto the foot of the bed, but taking care not to hit the wound that was still seeping. She took a seat next to him, and laid a hand on his leg.

He heard her sigh. "Start from the beginning. I find it makes it easier."

Desmond choked outa bitter laugh. "I don't even know where the beginning is. I don't even know who I am anymore."

"Well, I know who you are. You're Desmond Miles, a stubborn, hard-headed jackass most of the time, but I still love you anyway." She laughed while holding onto him. "You are too hard on yourself. So, you argue with yourself. Big deal."

It was a big deal to him. He was losing his mind, and there wasn't a damn thing he could do about it. So, he decided to tell her everything. "I wasn't arguing with myself. I was arguing with Altair." And he launched into the whole story on how it all got started. How he began to see his three ancestors, and the crazy assassin.

Once he was done, his eyes stayed on the floor. Not able to bring himself to look at her. To see that she thought he had completely lost his mind. But what she said next surprised him.

"I don't know what you're going through, but when this is all over, and everything calms down, we can find a way to get this to stop." His head shot up, and he just stared at her. She gave a lopsided grin. "What? Did you think I was going to leave you because you talk to your dead ancestors?"

Rubbing his neck, he gave a weak chuckle. "Well, yeah."

Wrapping her arms around him, she laid her head against his arm. "Always looking at the bad side of things. Let me clarify a few things for you. You, idiota, are stuck with me until you want me to leave. We are a team, and there is no way in Hell that I will ever abandon my partner. Even if he is a raving lunatic." Isabella laughed. "Kidding! I don't think you're nuts. I love you, quirks and all. And even if I have to share you with the guys, I really don't care. Just as long as they're not there when it's you and me time. If you catch my meaning."

And after that came out, he couldn't help but start laughing. He knew what she meant, and at least with her knowing, he didn't feel so alone in the world. "I will try my damnedest to keep them at bay when that happens."

"Good, now, time to try and get some more sleep. We leave early in the morning."

And for once, he felt like he might be able to get more than an hour or two before the nightmares finally found him once more.

*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*

Damien readjusted the cap that was now perched on his head. An hour ago, they had ambushed the driver of the limo, shoved him into the trunk of Tori's car, and stripped him of the uniform. Unfortunately, he was the only one that it would fit. So, he got nominated for the task.

Watching the window, he saw the target exit the building, phone to his ear, face scrunched up in anger at whatever was being told to him on the other end of the device. The door opened, and Olivier climbed in, the valet closing the door behind him.

"No, I don't care what she wants. It will take time to get the location. If we push him, the man is going to find out something that we don't want him to. There is already someone hacking into the computers there." A pause as he listened to the person he was speaking to. "And I understand the pressure, Melanie, but if the mole finds out what we are hunting for in Kenway's memories, everything we have been working at will be for nothing. We must take this slow."

Clearing his throat, and putting on the best American accent he could, he spoke up. "Where to, sir?"

Olivier's eyes looked up at him in the rear view. "Midway. As quick as you can."

Giving a nod, Damien shifted the car down into drive, then eased into the holiday traffic. The meeting place was not that far out of the city. Seth and Tori would be waiting with his car, while he was about to pick up William a few blocks down. It all was to be done carefully, and quickly, with no one the wiser. Their job was made easier by the fact the man in the back seat did not have any guards with him. He may be high on the pole, but too low for them to be concerned about someone taking him. That was why he had made the perfect target.

The pickup point was coming up, and he felt his hand slide down in preparation to hit the unlock button. The light was on their side, and turned red as he pulled up to the light. William walked out from under an awning, head bent down, trying to keep the snow out of his eyes.

Before Olivier could react, William was in the car, gun in his side. "I would advise you to throw that phone to the front of the car, and keep your mouth shut." Once he did what he was told, William turned his attention to him. "I would get out of here as fast as you can."

He didn't need to be told twice. They had just pulled off the biggest kidnapping in their recent history, and in a Templar controlled city none the less. So, once the light turned, he did as well, heading to the meeting area where they would ditch the car, and take Olivier to a secret area for questioning.

"What do you people want with me?" Olivier asked as they made their way out of the city.

"Just a few answers. Then, you will be free to go." William told him, but Damien knew that was a lie. There was not going to be just a few questions. There would be a bunch of them, and if everything went right, the man had nothing to worry about. Double cross them, or give harmful information, he would never be found alive.

This was not the first time he had been on a kidnapping. Probably wouldn't be the last, but with age beginning to set in, and Sarah hounding him about slowing down, that was what he was working on. His children were everything and more he had trained them to be. Now with Isabella having a son to pass the legacy to, he wasn't too worried about the line of assassins continuing.

Twenty minutes passed when they pulled up into the lot. Tori and Seth leaned against the car, hoods pulled up over their heads. Once he came to a stop, they walked over, opening the car door for William and their 'guest'. Olivier got out of the car at gunpoint, eyes wide. "Where are you taking me?" He cried, looking about to piss himself.

Damien just shook his head. "Just keep your head down, and mouth shut, and you'll be fine."

Not another word left his lips. Maybe he was smarter than he was given credit for. William shoved him into the waiting arms of Seth. "Get him in the car, and make sure he can't get out."

Giving a nod, his oldest led the man to the waiting car. Throwing the cap into the limo, Damien ran his fingers through his graying hair. "What is the next course of action? We have to get out of this city and not be caught in doing so. I hope your contact told you how to accomplish that as well."

William gave a curt nod. "You and I will lead Tori and Seth down US-41 down into Indiana. From there we go to one of the old safe houses. We can hold him there for a time."

The plan sounded solid enough, but there were things the other man was withholding, and that in itself could be dangerous for all involved. "Bill, as a senior member of the Brotherhood, you need to start sharing things here. I have known you for many years, and I know you're keeping things from me."

"I keep many things to myself, and have for years. What makes this any different?" He turned and began to head for the other car when Damien called out.

"And isn't that what drove your son away? You and your little secrets?" That made William stop. "You forget, we are kind of tied together now. It's my daughter and your son that kind of made us this way. Now, either you start sharing, or I pull myself and my son out of this operation right here and now. Your choice."

Spinning quickly, he marched back over to where Damien stood in the snow. "You want to know what I'm hiding." He nodded, face neutral. "I hide things to keep people safe. I do what I do to keep the Brotherhood going, and keep what we have given so much for moving forward."

Sneering, he got in William's face. "And you think keeping secrets is helping us? You are a bigger fool than I thought. It was your secrets that got my youngest son killed." It was only a hunch that he had for years, but in that moment, when William turned from him, he knew the answer. "They were after me again. I loaned my sister-in-law my car. The car that they knew was mine. You knew they were after me, and you didn't tell anyone. You kept it to yourself."

"I was trying to find my son. I was hunting for Desmond at that time, and I lost track of where Abstergo was. I would have told you." His voice was low, hurt, but that wasn't going to save him this time.

All he wanted to do at that moment in time was punch the bastard in his face, but for the sake of his children and grandchild, he refrained. "So, in your hunt for your son, I lost three of my family members. I lost my wife's sister, my nephew, and my son, Dante. I didn't lose them to my words, or actions. I lost them because of you." Curling his hand into a fist, Damien closed his eyes tight, and the face of his youngest son passed by. "After this is over, I'm done. I don't want any part of your schemes. That includes my daughter, son, and if I can help it, my grandson."

"You can't keep him from me, Damien. That is my grandson as well." He spoke up.

Meeting William's eyes, he glared. "Watch me."

**Wow, that was a hard chapter to write. I needed a conflict. One on the inside. Now you have it. Kind of a dark ending, but I like it. I will add a preview of the following chapter, but it won't be like before. Enjoy!**

**Preview of Chapter 8**

"Isabella, do you think having him here is safe?" Sarah looked over at where Desmond had fallen asleep on the couch, Collin sleeping next to him, on the floor, in his bouncy seat.

"Mom, where else was I supposed to take him? Huh? He doesn't really have anyone else he trusted right now. I'm the only one that he will talk to. Besides, Abstergo isn't stupid enough to go after us together." Her eyes looked over at the father and son. Desmond had been inseparable from Collin since they arrived a few hours ago. "I will not have him taken once more."

Sighing, her mother shook her head in defeat. "I hope you know what you're doing."

So did she, but she wasn't about to voice that out loud to her mother. So, putting on the greatest act she could, Isabella smiled confidently, and hoped it was convincing. "I know I do. We work better as a team than we do apart."

"Just so you know what you're doing. I'll trust your judgment." She watched her mother walk into the kitchen, and she hoped she could come up with something, anything, to keep them all safe.


	8. Chapter 8

**Okay I'm going to start out by telling everyone to ignore the teaser at the end of the last chapter. As it took a month to write this chapter, and review everything that I had written up until now, I am not going to have them making it back to Isabella's house in this chapter. Sorry about the confusion. Hopefully everyone enjoys it though. *Sassiersphinx***

Bitter winds slammed into the window panes of the side windows, making them shake from the force outside. The storm had come out of nowhere, laying siege to the city, and all that inhabited the concrete jungle that was Montreal. Rebecca huddled under a thick comforter, a mug of steaming jasmine tea clutched between her cold fingers. Her shoulder length black hair still damn from her trek through winter's fury. It had taken nearly three hours to make it the nine blocks from Abstergo to the place three blocks away where her van had slid on the forming ice and hit a curb.

The tire was a complete loss and thank the heavens above her boss was not pissed when he got the call. Rob just told her to leave the van there, he would call a wrecker to come get it and bring it back to the shop when they were able. The local police were informed as well, so she was in no danger of losing her one ticket into the viper's nest.

Shaun sat in the armchair, glasses perched on the top off his head, eyes glued to the computer screen in an attempt to solve a puzzle that she herself didn't understand a lick of. Something about the next coming of Juno, and some vessel she needed. After he had rambled on for about twenty minutes and thoroughly lost her, she had tuned him out until he realized what she had done. Now he refused to even talk to her, calling her many unsavory names.

As she sat there, trying to get feeling back into her frozen limbs, one of the many phones they had in the apartment went off, and she grabbed for the lit up one to her left. Her work phone. Hitting the call button, she spoke. "Hello?"

'_Rebecca, Abstergo just called to inform us that they are closing the building for tomorrow. If the storm keeps up, they may be closed the following day as well.' _Rob Flashet sighed into the phone._ 'Since your van is down for right now, I'm guessing this is a blessing for you.'_

_Not really,_ she thought to herself, but if they closed the building, then that meant Jack would be off work as well, and that thought brought her a small amount of comfort. Putting a little cheer in her voice, she spoke. "That's good to hear. I could always use a day off, but this was not how I really wanted to get it."

He laughed. _'Don't I know it! I just finally made it back to the office from getting Mallory out of a small ditch. Her van slid into one an hour before you called me.'_

"Hopefully she's alright." Mallory was a college student and had taken the job to pay for her tuition. Nice girl, but a little ditsy. She was about to say something when her personal line began to ring. "Hey, I need to go. Call me if anything changes."

'_Will do.'_ And he hung up.

Dropping the first phone in her lap, she picked up the second one and answered. "It had better be good."

'_Well, that's a hell of a way to greet someone, Becca.'_ The line crackled a little bit, but the voice was unmistakably that of Desmond Miles.

"Holy shit! Where the hell did you come from? The last I heard you had made a run. What are you doing calling me?" It was quite the surprise to hear from him. She thought she would be the last to hear anything about him.

She could tell he had a smile on his face, because that was just the way he was_. 'Well, I missed you so much that I couldn't wait to hear your voice. So that's why I'm calling.' _

"Bullshit. What help do you need from tech support?" Leaning back, she looked over at Shaun, who mouthed _'Who is it?_' "It's Desmond." She answered him, and rolled her eyes at his expression. His eyes widened, and the computer in his lap abandoned now to curiosity.

'_I don't have a whole bunch of time, but needless to say, Isabella and I are kind of stuck in North Carolina with no ride, and I have not a damn clue as to if there's a safe house around here.' _

"Isabella's with you?" That was something new. The last she had heard the other woman was down in Mississippi with her son, and mother. She wasn't even supposed to leave the house without someone.

His voice took a serious tone, the playfulness all but gone from his voice. _'Yeah, but we won't be together much longer if they catch up to us. Agents caught us on a connecter flight from Washington D.C. to Montgomery. Took off running, and haven't looked back.'_

Setting her cup on the end table, Rebecca pointed to the computer and waved for Shaun to bring it to her. He did so with no question. "Hold on, let me see what we have. Where in the state are you?"

The phone crackled again, and this time there was a lot more static than the last time, but she managed to hear the word Dunn, and she knew where they were. Typing quickly, she pulled up the list of all the safe house that were still, well, safe. And low and behold, there was one nearby. "If you said Dunn, then you're not too far from a safe house. It's about twenty minutes from you in a town called Lillington. Did you catch that?"

'_Yeah, I caught it. Look, we're out of time. A few trucks just passed us up and heading in the direction where we ditched the car we stole. They're going to find it soon.'_ His breathing was coming out in pants now, so the only thing she could guess was they were running when he said where they were.

"I'll text you the address and buddy, you had better call me when you get there, or so help me I will drive down there and find you myself." And she wasn't playing. Her personal car was just in the garage, and full of gas. It would take her driving all night, but she could make it there.

More static, but she made out what he said. _'I will. I promise you that. Thanks Becca, I owe you one.' _

"Hah! You owe me more than one, Des. Be safe out there." But she doubted he heard most of it, because the phone was silent. Pulling it away from her ear, she looked at the stars that swirled in a pattern across the screen. The call had been dropped. "Please be safe." She whispered at the phone as it entered sleep mode, and prayed that luck was still on his side.

Shaun sat on the couch next to her, taking the phone from her hands. "I believe those two will be fine. They haven't survived this long to have it all dashed away now. If luck was a form of currency, Desmond and Isabella would be bloody millionaires by now."

Chuckling lightly, she nodded her head, because she knew he was right. "That much I can imagine. It must run in the genes, because all of his ancestors were the luckiest sons of bitches to ever walk the Earth. Don't know about hers, but I know for a fact about his."

*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*

"Well, that's the last window." Seth held up the drill and gave the trigger a pull, looking over at the man that was curled up in the corner, probably thinking that he was going to use the drill as a torture devise. "Think about trying to get out now, and well, I think you can use your imagination." He let a slow sly smile spread over his lips. "Someone will be in to check on you in a few."

Opening the door, Olivier moved forward a bit. "What do you plan to do to me?" His voice shook and his eyes wide like a doe caught in the headlights of a car.

Shrugging, he answered truthfully. "I don't have a damn clue. I'm not up high enough on the food chain to know that. So, my advice to you is, keep your mouth shut unless they ask you a question. Answer truthfully, and you will probably get to walk out of this with all your fingers and toes. If not, well, let's not think that far ahead now."

And leaving that as the parting shot, he walked out of the door, closing it firmly behind him. Tori sat in the camp chair just outside the door, her face an unreadable mask as always. "You shouldn't threaten him like that. He might decide to clam up."

Frowning, he sat the power drill on the table. "You would be surprised what just the smallest amount of fear can do to a normal person. Oh wait, you wouldn't know because you, _Victoria_, are not normal." Seth spat her name out like a foul taste in his mouth.

Her cool demeanor didn't change as she stood up, pulling down the pack of her shirt to cover the grip of the gun that he knew was there. The woman didn't go ten feet from anywhere without some form of weapon on her. _Paranoid bitch_, he thought to himself.

"We are assassins, Seth. None of us are normal." She countered and walked from the room.

Grinding his teeth in frustration, he wanted nothing more than to grab her, and shake the dog shit out of her until some form of emotion came from her dead panned face. It was the same song and dance when they were together. She was a damn unfeeling and uncaring robot, and no one could tell him differently. Even when they were dating, she was like that.

Deciding the best course of action was for him to get out of the house for a few minutes before he actually acted upon the thoughts he currently had, he headed in the opposite direction she went, and upon exiting the back door, he found his father in a heated debate on his phone.

"You let her leave?" He was on the verge of yelling, and it took a lot to get him to that point. "You know she wasn't supposed to leave the house without someone being with her."

Taking a seat on the cold, concrete step, he watched his dad make ruts in the snow. "Sarah, you know how she gets, and if she gets into something over there that she can't get out of, none of us will be able to get there in time."

From what he could piece together, his mom had let his sister fly the coupe, but for what? So, deciding to sit there quietly, he waited until the call was completed to find out what was going on, and he was rewarded by only waiting a minute or two later.

Damien shoved the phone into the breast pocket of his thick coat, and with a heated glare that could melt the snow around, he turned to his son. "I swear, nothing I say matters to no one in this damn family."

Seth actually laughed. "Did you really think that Mom would listen to anything you say when it comes to Izzy? She never has and probably never will." But his laughter died when his father's glare got even colder.

"I was hoping that she would just one time. One time! Is that asking too much? Now your sister is off on some wild goose chase, going after that bastard's son." His thumb jerked towards the house. "I knew telling her that he was alive was the worst thing that could have ever been done. Should have told her he was dead, and left it at that."

"Dad, she would have eventually found out, and then what? Blamed you for not telling her, that's what." Standing, he brushed a small amount of snow from the edge of his pants. "Now, I'm not saying that I like the idea that she ran off, but you knew it was going to happen."

Damien was quiet for a minute, staring hard at the ground. Finally, he spoke once more. "You're right, but she didn't have to pull something so dangerous. Your mother helped her get to Russia three days ago when we were in Florida."

So that's why Isabella wasn't answering her phone. "I was wondering why when I called to check on her she wasn't answering. I just chalked it up to me pissing her off before we left."

"I don't trust her to do this alone." Moving towards the house, he brushed past Seth, and walked up the stairs.

Following his dad back into the warmth, he asked, "So what do you plan to do? Fly over there yourself?"

"No, you are." He called over his shoulder.

"What?" His feet stopped moving as he stared at his dad's back in complete and utter surprise. "Uh repeat that one more time." He had to be hearing things, because he just thought he was being volunteered to fly half way around the world to find his crazy sister, and her escaped prisoner of a boyfriend, all the while dodging Abstergo agents.

But his hearing was not wrong, because Damien stopped, turned and said once more. "You are going after them. Do I need to repeat myself a third time?" The brow arched and Seth ground his teeth once more.

"No, I heard you, and sorry Dad, but fuck that." That sent both brows straight into the hairline. "Yeah, you heard me right, fuck that. Izzy can handle herself, give her that much credit. If she gets into trouble, you know she'll call, or find a way to get a message to us."

"Your boy's right." William walked into the room, and he could have sworn the temperature dropped by like ten degrees. The icy glares the older men were giving each other made a tundra feel like a tropical oasis.

Damien squared his shoulders as his met the other man's eye. "And how are you so sure that my daughter is fine?"

Holding out his phone, his father took it from him. "Because Desmond just sent this text about forty-five minutes ago from her phone. They're in the States, and that's all that it said."

'**maDE it back. we're both fine, So don't worry. Meet up sOoN, Dad'**

Walking over, Seth looked over his shoulder to read the text. "You sure it's from Desmond and not someone else?" He asked.

Taking the phone back, he scrolled through a few of the messages, then handed it back. "This was a message from Desmond a year ago. He always makes sure that his name is in capital letters in the text. See? That's how I know it's from him."

'**daD, sorry about thE fight. Dumber thingS have Made us OpeN up on each other. hopefully this last mission will be the enD of all of this. see you back there'**

Seth caught on, and he was right. Looking at the text that was from a year ago, to the one that was sent from Isabella's phone, the only letters that were capitalized spelled out 'Desmond'. "Okay, so they're in the States, but where?" He asked as William took back the phone once more, and placed it in his pocket.

"Haven't a clue. That's the only message I got from them. I sent one back, but no reply. Phone could be dead, or they ran into some trouble. Isabella called me two days ago telling me that she found him, and that they were heading back here. That's all I got before she hung up." He took a seat in the chair that was once occupied by Tori. "But I'm willing to bet that if we find a high concentration of Abstergo agents, we're going to find them."

*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*

"Isabella, we need to keep moving." Desmond whispered as he looked at the clearing in front of them. It was the last hurdle to get over before they made it to the safe house. "It shouldn't be much farther." He risked it, and lit up the screen on the phone. According to the directions he got off the internet, they were only a few miles from the address. Becca had said there should be a car there, but the condition was unknown.

He heard her fall in behind him. "I hope you're right." Isabella stopped at his right, and looked out as well. "They have been on our asses for at least the last seven miles."

Abstergo had been closing in on their position all night, and it hadn't been for a few good breaks, they would have been caught already. The clouds had been obscuring the moon, plunging the land into darkness. It seemed that someone wanted them to survive another night. "Think we should cut straight across or skirt the edge?"

Lights could be seen off in the distance, but he couldn't tell if they were headlights, house lights, or street lights. All he knew was they were being hunted, and just like a game hunter stalking his prey, if they were caught in the crosshairs, they were as good as dead.

Isabella looked over the field as well, then down the edge of the wood line. "If we take the woods, it's going to take us to the wrong side of town. Then we'll have to cross over more streets to get where we need to go. I say we just make a run for it, and pray for the best."

"Not a very solid plan, but hey, I've done far worse." The mission to Brazil came to mind, or base jumping off the top of a crane to reach the roof of a skyscraper. Memories of what he did when he was in the Animus we're there as well. None of them real sane, or really thought out. Running across a vacant field seemed tame compared to that shit. "Ready whenever you are."

A quick nod of her head, and they both took off. They pushed their weary bodies for more strength than what he knew they had at that moment. Traveling all night with little food and no rest was beginning to take its toll on them. He was also still recovering from his run in Russia. Gaining precious strength back during the flight, only to have it dashed from him running from the Templars once more.

His breath came out in labored pants even before they were three quarters across. His muscles cried out for a rest, but he kept going. They would be able to rest once they made it the last few miles, but until then he had to keep pushing, keep fighting for more.

The main road came into view as the rushed up the small incline from the ditch. It was probably the most glorious sight he had seen in a while. The address wasn't too far down the main drag, but disaster struck when they were about to round the corner.

"They have to be in this town somewhere." A male voice spoke, causing the two of them to slide to a stop at the end of the building. "It's not like it's that big."

"Yeah, but from what we were told, they are probably two of the most dangerous. Worse than that Cross fellow."

A broad, smug smile came across Desmond's face when he heard that he and Isabella were two of the most dangerous. That actually felt good coming from Templars and their lackeys. Isabella, on the other hand, just rolled her eyes, as she pressed her back against the brick side.

"Well, smart ass, if they're here, then where are they?" The first man spoke, and Desmond could hear their footsteps moving towards the alley where the two of them were currently hiding.

"I don't have a clue. All I know is we were told to come check out this town because they were heading in this direction. Hell, they could have doubled back and are hiding out somewhere else." The second man snorted, their voices even closer.

Grabbing Isabella's hand, he bolted towards the back of the building, hoping to find some way onto the roof, or even just higher ground. Get a lay of the town and go from there. It was the only option besides trying to outrun the men, which he didn't have the strength to do then. His muscles were already screaming for him to stop, but there was not a snowball's chance in hell for that. So he kept telling himself to keep moving, keep fighting, to keep forging on. It was the only way they were ever going to get out of this alive.

Spotting the dumpster just to the left of them behind the building, it gave the best course to get to the windows just above. Then it was just a small climb to the roof and some sort of cover. Careful to not make much noise, he got onto the lid, and pulled Isabella up.

"Your arm." She whispered, placing her hands on the sides of the bicep that had been shot. She turned it to face the minimum light that was there, and he saw what she saw. Crimson blood seeped through the tan material, turning it a grotesque color of mud. "It must have reopened."

"Later." He told her. It was not something they could take care of there on the top of a dumpster. It was going to have to wait until they either found a way out of town, or made it to the safe house. If they could make it there.

Her lips formed a thin line, and her eyes narrowed, but she gave a stiff nod. He knew she was pissed, but he was more worried about getting to the roof than his arm. "Come on." She grabbed the window ledge and began to haul herself up to the roof.

The climb shouldn't have been that hard. He had done it what felt like a million times as Altair, Ezio, Connor, and himself, but by the time his hands grabbed the edge, his body shook from exhaustion, and if it wasn't for Isabella already being on the top and grabbing his arms, he probably would have fallen. She pulled him over the edge, and both laid there on their backs, breathing labored.

"I really think you have a curse hanging over you." Isabella finally spoke when her breathing was back under control.

Desmond laughed quietly. "And why do you say that?"

"Because every time we're together, we end up out of breath, and hiding from the Templars. Hon, something has got to give." Turning her head, she smirked at him.

"Maybe it's you that's the curse, not me." He grinned broadly. "And it seems to me that every time I'm with you, I end up flat on my back on a roof somewhere, or wounded."

Giving an unladylike snort, she sat up, and looked down at him. "Excuse me, if memory serves me well, it was you and Ezio who picked the fight that time. I was just the poor bystander."

Following her lead, he sat up as well. "Innocent my white ass. You jumped in alongside us, and loved every minute of it."

She gave a simple shrug. "Alright you got me. Now, where to next, oh fearless leader?"

"The safe house. If only to get the car and the money that's there. It's the only way we're getting out of this alive." At least that was what he was aiming for. He hadn't gone through hell for the last year to die now. Not when he was so damn close.


End file.
